Brian 'Head' Welch to Christians: Transformation Doesn't Happen Overnight, Let God Do His Work (Interview)
Korn's Brian "Head" Welch says he finds it tiring to invite people to know Jesus — like the transgender men and women he ministered to at a July 31 rock concert — when religious people chase them away with harsh words.
"I'm begging you, [Christians], please stop," Welch said last week on his Facebook page.
In an interview with The Christian Post on Monday, Welch, 46, shared more of what happened that night and the fruit that has come of it. Though Welch said he speaks in churches from time to time, God continues to open doors for him to witness to hurting people in unconventional settings outside its four walls.
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Although most of the response Welch has received regarding his post, which has been shared nearly 2,000 times and has received over 10,000 likes, has been positive, Welch also said he's received a range of critical and mean-spirited comments, calling his motives into question.
Welch has a question of his own for his detractors.
"When have we seen God do something really quick?" Welch asked in his interview with CP. "He does do these 'suddenlies' sometimes, yes, but usually there is a process, and it's a lot longer than any human would take. That's what God does. We have to get to these people and to be Jesus to them and just love them."
"And we have to give the Lord time to work before we tell people what they need to do and then they disappear and turn their back on God," he said.
Making a reference to Romans 2:4, Welch added, "It is His kindness that leads to repentance. Do you know how many things I've given up because of God's kindness?"
While Welch acknowledged the Bible's ethical dimensions for marriage, he told CP there have been instances in his own life when he's gotten a firm, fatherly rebuke from God. The majority of the time, the most transformation has come from His tenderness.
"My thing is, get Jesus to come and live inside, and let Him start cleaning house," Welch said.
Such an attitude informs his posture for ministry. Along with several Jesus-loving friends, Welch went to a rock concert in Mountain View, California, on July 31 and what happened next could only be described as an adventure in the Holy Spirit.
"Before we went in as a team we asked God to highlight people, to show us who to talk to," Welch recounted.
After the concert was over, they gathered a small group near the venue and Welch let loose with the most powerful weapon in his arsenal: his testimony of how God set him free from years of drugs, alcohol addiction, and self-hatred.
"I always tell them, this was my life before," Welch said, reflecting on when he shares his painful experiences from his youth and how he carried the rejection, teasing, and self-hatred that led him into darker things. No amount of money, Grammy Awards, MTV fame could fill that void.
"I was drinking and drugging just so I could feel like I liked myself, trying to just feel comfortable in my own skin," he continued. "But when I encounterd Jesus He started to heal that thing, that root that took hold when I was a kid."
Welch then told the small crowd that had gathered, "Some of you guys don't want this, some of you think it's nonsense, but there are some of you who know that you are supposed to be here at this moment."
"There is always at least a few of them who are in tears, who know that God Himself led them there," he said. "So I pray with them and I say, 'If you want Christ to come in, He will never leave. He said He will be there for you and He will transform you.'"
