About the Project

Warship is more than a band — it’s a movement of hearts united in surrender, service, and sound. Formed around a shared desire to bring Jesus’ first public teaching to life through music, Warship’s debut album, Sermon on the Mount, transforms the words of Matthew chapters 5, 6, and 7 into a sweeping musical experience.

Written and recorded between January 2023 and October 2025, the project took shape across three South Dakota studios — Prairie Studio, Eden Farm Studio, and Witness & Watchman Studio — under the creative direction of Jonathan Kelly and Chris Hill, who also co-produced and mixed the album. Together with an extraordinary group of artists and musicians, they set out to capture not just melodies, but the heartbeat of Jesus’ message.

At its core, Sermon on the Mount is a meditation on the way of peace — a call to humility, compassion, and radical love. Jesus’ teaching reveals a new kind of kingdom: one where power is found in meekness, blessing in mercy, and victory in surrender. Each song is a reflection on this paradox — the tension between selflessness and selfishness, servitude and pride, the human struggle between the way of God and the pull of the world.

The name Warship embodies this spiritual conflict. Every day we face a choice: to live for ourselves, or to live in service to God and humanity. This daily battle — between the flesh and the spirit, between selfishness and surrender — is the “war” we face. But for those who “seek first His kingdom,” victory has already been won through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ and the empowering of the Holy Spirit.

Warship is not just a name, a band, or an album — it’s a posture. It’s the act of honoring God by loving and serving others, of standing together as one body, one army, united in devotion and obedience. When believers gather in this spirit, worship becomes warfare — and love becomes our weapon.

Credits

All tracks written by Jonathan Kelly except: Treasures in Heaven – written by Chris Hill

All tracks produced by Jonathan Kelly & Chris Hill

Mixing Engineers – Chris Hill & Jonathan Kelly

Mastering Engineer – Chris Hill

Recorded at: Prairie Studio (Sioux Falls, SD), Witness & Watchmen Studio (Sioux Falls, SD), and Eden Farm Studio (Southeast SD) March 2023 - October 2025

Musicians:

Jonathan Kelly – keyboards, guitars, banjo, aux percussion, vocals

Chris Hill – drums, bass, guitars, aux percussion, vocals

Reuben Rodriguez – bass

Trevor Anema - bass

Tom Curl – guitars

Andrew Billion – guitars

Joel Fredrikson – acoustic guitar

Adam Colon – electric guitar

Sean Albertson – electric guitar

Dan Heier – drums

Larry Hill - drums

Heather Heier – vocals

Audri Vargas – vocals

Trot Lifto – vocals

Greyson Shultz – vocals

Vaney Hariri – vocals

Anna Kelly – vocals

Stella, Loralie, Norah, Clara, Ava – kids choir

Joel Shotwell – saxophones, flute

Jim Spears – trumpet

Howard Hedger – fiddle

Carey Hofer – slide guitar