{"id":42407,"date":"2025-01-21T14:23:45","date_gmt":"2025-01-21T19:23:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/idolchatter\/?p=42407"},"modified":"2025-01-21T14:23:45","modified_gmt":"2025-01-21T19:23:45","slug":"after-15-years-michael-tait-is-leaving-newsboys","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/idolchatter\/2025\/01\/after-15-years-michael-tait-is-leaving-newsboys.html","title":{"rendered":"After 15 Years, Michael Tait is Leaving Newsboys"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>
Breezy Baldwin \/ Flickr<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Newsboys lead singer Michael Tait sent shockwaves through the Christian music world when he announced that he would be stepping down from the band after 15 years. Writing on his Instagram<\/a>, Tait, 58, called his time with the band, \u201cthe most fulfilling, faith-filled, and rewarding years of my life.\u201d He reminisced about some of the hits the band has produced during his 15-year tenure, including \u201cGod\u2019s Not Dead,\u201d which has become recognizable from the \u201cGod\u2019s Not Dead<\/a>\u201d movie franchise that kicked off in 2014 starring Kevin Sorbo of \u201cHercules\u201d fame as an antagonistic atheist teacher going up against his new student, Josh Wheaton\u2019s, Christian beliefs. The band has been featured in all four movies of the franchise.<\/p>\n

Tait admitted that the announcement of his departure would be a shock to many. \u201cWhile this may come as a surprise given I\u2019ve been touring ever since college, I\u2019ve made for me what is a monumental and heartfelt decision that it is time to step down from Newsboys. This decision does not come lightly and has been a shock to even myself, but amidst prayer and fasting, I have clarity that this is the right decision.\u201d He quoted Matthew 6:33, which says, \u201cBut seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.\u201d Tait did not reveal if he has any future plans, nor what the band\u2019s plans might be, but stated he was both \u201cnervous\u201d and \u201cexcited.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tait took over as lead singer in 2009 after the band\u2019s lead singer, Pete Furler, left. The band has been a staple of the Christian music scene since 1985. Prior to joining Newsboys, Tait was one of the founding members of the Christian band DC Talk in 1988. He also had his own band called Tait prior to joining Newsboys. He has also had something of a political profile, having supported Ted Cruz during his presidential run in 2016 and opposing Donald Trump\u2019s impeachment in 2019.<\/p>\n

Newsboys released their own statement<\/a> about Tait\u2019s departure. \u201cWe are grateful for the extended season Michael has had with Newsboys,\u201d the group said, saying that memories with Tait would be \u201cdeeply cherished.\u201d \u201cAs he walks into the next season of life, we are stepping into the next season of Newsboys. We are kicking off our Worldwide Revival Nights tour as planned this weekend, and we hope to see you at a show soon,\u201d the group added. The group acknowledge that its main focus would be on worship as \u201cthe way we want to move forward.\u201d \u201cWe know there will be questions about what the future holds, and in due time, we\u2019ll have answers [to] those questions. For now, we want you to know that Newsboys isn\u2019t going anywhere; we\u2019re going everywhere!\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Newsboys lead singer Michael Tait sent shockwaves through the Christian music world when he announced that he would be stepping down from the band after 15 years. Writing on his Instagram, Tait, 58, called his time with the band, \u201cthe most fulfilling, faith-filled, and rewarding years of my life.\u201d He reminisced about some of the…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":627,"featured_media":42395,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fbia_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6,11,4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-42407","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-celebrities","category-christian-music","category-pop-culture"],"yoast_head":"\nAfter 15 Years, Michael Tait is Leaving Newsboys<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/idolchatter\/2025\/01\/after-15-years-michael-tait-is-leaving-newsboys.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"After 15 Years, Michael Tait is Leaving Newsboys\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Newsboys lead singer Michael Tait sent shockwaves through the Christian music world when he announced that he would be stepping down from the band after 15 years. 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