Worship Leader Brian Doerksen Has Passed
The global Christian music community is mourning the loss of one of its most influential worship songwriters.
UCB Canada National Promotions Director John Connor contributed the following:
Canadian worship leader and songwriter Brian Doerksen passed away peacefully this morning (7/21) at his family home, surrounded by those he loved most.
His wife, Joyce (pictured), shared the news on social media: “On July 21st, at 6:45 AM, our beloved Brian passed away peacefully in his sleep at his family home, surrounded by those who loved him most… Till the very end, Brian continued to love those around him, encouraging them in who they are, and shared incredible gratitude to those in the medical field who tried their best to help him. He was a beacon of light even in his final moments…”
For more than three decades, Brian quietly helped shape modern worship through songs that became part of the weekly worship life of churches around the world. His best-known compositions include Come, Now Is the Time to Worship, Refiner’s Fire (Purify My Heart), Faithful One, Hope of the Nations, and many others that have been translated into numerous languages and sung by millions of believers across denominational lines.
While often associated with the Vineyard movement that helped reshape congregational worship in the 1980s and 1990s, Brian’s influence reached far beyond any one denomination. His songs found homes in Anglican, Baptist, Pentecostal, Alliance, Presbyterian, Catholic, and independent churches alike, becoming part of the shared vocabulary of worship for a generation of Christians.
Although his ministry became global, Brian remained unmistakably Canadian. Long before Canadian worship music gained international recognition, he demonstrated that songs written from a local church in British Columbia could resonate with believers around the world. His faithful songwriting helped open doors for countless Canadian artists and worship leaders who followed.
(Pictured at left Connor with Doerksen at UCB studios). Those who knew Brian personally often speak first not of his accomplishments, but of his humility. Friends consistently describe him as kind, thoughtful, deeply curious, and genuinely interested in people. Even during his final days, his family shared that he continued encouraging those around him and expressing gratitude to the medical teams caring for him.
His legacy is measured not simply in awards or recordings, but in the countless congregations who continue to sing the truths he so faithfully put into words.
Every Sunday, somewhere in the world, a church will begin singing, “Come, now is the time to worship.” For many, Brian Doerksen’s name may never be mentioned—but his life’s work will continue pointing people to Jesus for generations to come.
