Raised as the only child of a minister in Northern Alabama, Lindell Cooley was surrounded by ministry and music throughout his formative years. His first practical musical experience came when he was taught to play the tambourine at the age of five. From there, he went on to play the drums, bass guitar, organ and piano.

Nearly three decades later, he currently serves as president of Music Missions International (MMI) and Pastor at Grace Church: Nashville in Franklin, Tennessee.

Looking back on his early days as a budding musician and worship leader, Cooley is still surprised by the orchestrating hand that carefully prepared him for his current position. “My family and I often did concerts in addition to regular church services,” he recalls. “It was when they needed to produce a custom recording for radio stations that I learned to make records.”

At 21, Cooley was spending part of his time playing the piano with Christian musicians Lenny LeBlanc and Rusty Goodman and the other part serving as associate and children’s pastor in his father’s church. But he knew he had a destiny to fulfill and, at the age of 28, he set off to find it.

Cooley moved to Nashville, Tennessee, and began working at Christ Church as an assistant music minister. Two years later, he left Christ Church to become a studio musician and an independent producer. In the fall of 1994, Lindell Cooley visited Brownsville Assembly and met with Pastor John Kilpatrick. In February of 1995, Kilpatrick needed a music minister and believed Lindell was God’s choice for the position. After initially turning down the job, Cooley accepted and arrived in April of 1995. Two months later, while Lindell was away on a missions trip to the Ukraine, a historic revival began.

After 10 years as music minister for the Brownsville Revival, In January of 2004, Lindell moved back to Nashville, TN and began to plant Grace Church: Nashville. He currently resides in Franklin, TN with his wife Amber and two sons, Samuel and Isaac.