Some voices don’t just sing to us. They draw us into a special place of worship in the most common of spaces. For Brian Doerksen, that was the calling of a lifetime, and today we say goodbye to a man whose songs became the soundtrack of worship for millions around the world.
Brian passed away on July 21st. He was a husband, a father, a pastor, and one of the most cherished worship songwriters Canada has ever known. And while our hearts are heavy, we hold on to the very hope he spent his life pointing us toward.
A Song That Started in Abbotsford
Brian’s story began in Abbotsford, British Columbia, the place he would call home for the rest of his life. In his early twenties, he joined the staff at Langley Vineyard, serving as worship pastor through the late 1980s and early 1990s. It was there that a gift began to take shape, one that would soon reach far beyond a single church.
He had a rare ability to put words to the things we feel but struggle to say. Longing. Surrender. Gratitude. Hope. Over the years, that gift gave the church some of its most beloved songs. His music crossed oceans, languages, and generations, sung in tiny country chapels and packed arenas alike.
A Legacy Honoured, A Faith Lived
The world took notice, too. Brian won a Juno Award in 2008 for his album Holy God, and in 2014 he received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Gospel Music Association of Canada. Yet anyone who knew him will tell you the awards were never the point. The worship was.
Brian’s faith wasn’t just something he sang about. It was how he lived. He and his wife, Joyce, built a life together and raised six children, including two sons with Fragile X syndrome. Their family knew both deep joy and real challenge, and Brian often wrote from that honest place. Maybe that’s why his songs felt so true. He wasn’t singing from a distance. He was singing from the middle of a life fully lived and fully surrendered.
A Friend to JOY
Here at JOY, Brian was more than an artist on our playlist. He was part of the family. His music has filled our airwaves for years, meeting listeners in their kitchens, their cars, and their quietest moments. He shared his heart with us, and in return he became a familiar and beloved voice to this community.
That’s what makes this loss feel so personal. Brian walked with so many of us through our hardest seasons. Now we hold his family close as they walk through theirs.
A Prayer, and a Hope
So today, we pray. We thank God for the gift of Brian’s life and the songs that will keep on lifting hearts long after this goodbye. We ask for comfort and peace over Joyce, their children, and everyone who loved him. And we lean into the hope Brian sang about again and again, the hope of a faithful God who holds us in every season, even this one.
Brian gave us the words to worship through our darkest days. We can only imagine the song he’s singing now, face to face with the One he spent his whole life praising.
Rest in peace, Brian. And thank you. The church will be singing your songs for generations to come.
“He is faithful, faithful to the end.”
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