Steven Curtis Chapman Rides Again: A Night of Redemption, Roots, and Reverence in Greensburg

by Dave Parsons

It was a crisp Thursday night in Greensburg, Pennsylvania. Word of Life Church sat like a modest beacon along the quiet road, its steeple gleaming under soft lights as fans filed in. They weren’t here for a flashy pop show, a spectacle, or a loud stage production. They were here for something deeper. They were here for Steven Curtis Chapman—an acoustic performance of all of the years, wounds, and wonders that come with him and his music.

Chapman, now a grandfather, is still a theologian with strings and still somehow a dreamer with a guitar. His trip to Greensburg on May 8, 2025, was not to prove anything. He doesn’t have anything left to prove. With five Grammy Awards, 59 Gospel Music Association Dove Awards, and more than 10 million records sold, he is the most decorated Christian artist of all time. But his real accolades? They’re sitting in the pews—people whose lives were changed by songs like Cinderella, Speechless and I Will Be Here.

When Chapman stepped out from the side wing of the church stage, he looked as if he had just stepped out of a family reunion rather than a concert hall. Denim, boots, blazer, and acoustic guitar in hand—the man exudes the exact blend of dad-next-door and spiritual cowboy he’s perfected since the 90s.  

You knew it was probably coming…..Saddle up your horses, we’ve got a trail to blaze,….and the evening was off and running on another Great Adventure. Chapman sang with a full, confident voice. It was as much a call to action as a concert opener. The room lit up as the crowd settled in for another ride with an old friend. These were people who had long walked dusty faith roads with Chapman, and now they ride alongside him.

Before the moment could settle, Chapman went into Dive, a song with a chorus: I’m diving in, I’m going deep, and you could sense that was the theme for the night.  Chapman is a guy you could see having a great conversation with about almost anything, but his conviction will eventually rise, and he will ask you about Him.

From years of touring, Chapman seems like he peppers his setlist with new and different stories about his life and his songs.  A walk through the writing of Speechless preceded the performance of the song.  I’m amazed by Your glory / That leaves me speechless.  Well, it was less performance and more prayer.  A lady near me had her head bowed, while another man further over whispered every line from memory. 

As so it went, as each song was called up from the memory banks, so were the memories of the first time you heard it. Long Way Home talks about grief, without being consumed by it.  How lives had to have experienced the emotion in the years since the first playing, and Chapman as the leader singing I know we’re gonna make it leaving few dry eyes in the room. Not because the words are sad, but because they’re true.

Chapman shifted gears to his roots with Where the Bluegrass Grows. The song’s lyrics conjure up front porches, lemonade, and lazy Sundays—and fit perfectly in this Pennsylvania setting.  This led to acknowledging Chapman’s country music influence and his recent induction into the Grand Ole Opry.   

In a night of hit after hit, I Will Be Here, originally written for his wife Mary Beth during a time of trial in their marriage, the song has since become one of Christian music’s most enduring love ballads. It’s been sung at weddings, funerals, and hospital bedsides.  On this night in Greensburg, it was a balm. The lyric Tomorrow morning if you wake up, and the sun does not appear… I will be here hung in the air like a covenant.

With barely a pause, Chapman moved into one of the most personal songs of his life.  Written during the adoption of his daughters from China, the song carries more than melody. Chapman explained the work his foundation/ministry does for adoption.  The lyric And somewhere while you’re sleeping / Someone else is dreaming too, says it all. 

After a brief intermission, Chapman returned to the stage offering: So I can’t play everything tonight,” Chapman laughed, “but I can give you the sampler platter.  He launched into a bright, seamless medley featuring His Eyes, His Strength Is Perfect, More to This Life, For the Sake of the Call and Heaven in the Real World.   Besides the marvel of all of these songs being on almost everyone’s Rolodex in their mind, you forget how many hits this man had.  You forget how many times he has entered your life and shared his world with you.

Not to be outdone by himself, he started talking about sticking his toe in other genre’s of music and launched into an acoustic version of Got to Be Tru, the world’s forerunner into Christian Rap music, and followed by another medley of lesser, yet important, hits in his career.  The transitions were slick, the tempo upbeat, and the crowd clapped along like they were riding shotgun on a road trip through their own spiritual lives.

Then came the unexpected treat: “Living Color.” It’s one of Chapman’s most upbeat and lesser-known gems. We are living color! he sang with infectious joy. You could tell Chapman was having fun—and so was the audience.

Then came Cinderella.  Chapman told the story of dancing with his daughter in the kitchen. Then he paused. And now, I picture her dancing in heaven.  He didn’t need to elaborate. His daughter Maria’s tragic death in 2008 remains a wound in the heart of his audience as well. The final line, Cause all too soon, the clock will strike midnight, hung in the air as Chapman said goodnight.

Almost as a benediction, Chapman returned with a promise: Don’t Lose Heart.  A newer song of his, it offers a message to the discouraged and the downtrodden.

 Don’t lose heart / He’s got your hand.

As Chapman waved goodnight, it wasn’t the end of a concert. It was another in a long line of Great Adventures….a journey…..a testimony in 15 chapters.  In an era where Christian music often drifts toward formula, Steven Curtis Chapman remains an artisan—carving grace into every note, crafting story into every lyric, and leading worship not from a stage, but from a life laid down and lifted up.

Setlist:

First Set:

The Great Adventure

Dive

Speechless

Open The Eyes of My Heart

Lord of the Dance

Long Way Home

Where the Bluegrass Grows

Folsom Prison Blues / He Stopped Loving Her Today

I Will Be Here

When Love Takes You In

Second Set:

His Eyes / His Strength Is Perfect / More to This Life / When You Are a Soldier/For the Sake of the Call/Heaven In The Real World/Dancing with the Dinosaur/Fingerprints of God

Got to Be Tru/My Redeemer is Faithful and True/Great is thy Faithfullness/Goodness of God

Living Color

Cinderella

Don’t Lose Heart