Welcome!

The Worldwide Worship Studio was founded in 2023 and is run by Joel Barkman.  It's purpose is to be an accessible resource that encourages churches and believers around the globe in the growth of corporate worship music for the sake of engaging the unreached, making disciples, and building the church. 

Joel and his wife Kara lived in Spain for 5 years doing creative arts within church and ministry contexts.  During their time overseas they saw how much of the music sung in churches had been imported from other cultures.  Songs that were locally written were often poorly produced or distributed, often due to the financial burden.  Through this they developed a heart to provide a free platform for churches and artists around the globe to be able to write, produce, publish, and distribute music written by people within their own culture. 

Psalm 86:9-10

“All the nations you have made
    will come and worship before you, Lord;
    they will bring glory to your name.

For you are great and do marvelousdeeds;
    you alone are God.”

Psalm 98:4-6

“Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth;
break forth into joyous song and sing praises!
Sing praises to the Lord with the lyre,
with the lyre and the sound of melody!
With trumpets and the sound of the horn
make a joyful noise before the King, the Lord!”

Why is it important for a people group to sing their own music and style?

1: The Psalms and the rest of Scripture are filled with not only examples, but commands to worship and praise the Lord. While music is one of many ways to do this, it is integral throughout the Old and New Testament and is arguably the most common activity associated with praise and worship. 

2: Worshiping in a heart tongue and style can be compared to reading a bible translation in one’s own language. Music genres are like languages, and when a people group is able to sing praises to God in a way that feels like their own rather than someone else’s, worship will more likely proceed genuinely from the heart. 

3: It shows that following Jesus isn’t merely a western religion, but for everyone. If we say that we aren’t exporting western religion but all the songs we teach a young church to sing sound like western music, we are sending two sharply contrasting messages. 

4: Having recorded and live worship music that is in both the indigenous language and style would be a huge ministry tool outside of the church as well. It could be used in outreach events, played on the radio, and used in many other contexts to bridge the gap with those who do not yet know Jesus.

5: The very process of recording culture-specific Christian music could be an outreach tool: The need could easily arise to work with local instrumentalists who may not be believers in order to achieve authentic recordings. In the process of recording and producing music for a people group, there should be no hesitation about including non-believers in certain parts of the process, but rather view those interactions as part of the bridge-building with the lost. 

6. It empowers the local church to make their message and worship their own, to have something to contribute to fellow churches in the same area.

Joel grew up as a missionary kid in a musical family in Japan.  After dropping out of classical piano lessons, he found new interest in music with ragtime and jazz, picking up guitar, trumpet, and bass as he went.  At Moody Bible Institute he studied Music Composition and Bible, and felt a strong call from the Lord leading him to use his gifts in full-time ministry. 

While support raising in Kansas, Joel met Kara who had studied art at K-State and also had an interest in Spain. They married in 2013, anticipating moving overseas together and serving through their artistic gifts. 

The Barkmans were in Spain when the pandemic hit in 2020.  Unable to do any live music or play in church, Joel began to study music production online.  Soon afterwards the Lord abruptly called them to leave Spain but the door stayed open to continue a similar studio ministry from Kansas, where they are now based out of.