From the Drum to Deliverance
The Sound That Set Captives Free
There are sounds that shake rooms, and then there are sounds that shift atmospheres. For the Churches of Deliverance, one such sound was not born from an organ or a microphone—but from a drum.
The late Bishop McKinley Green, affectionately known to many as the Father of Praise, didn't just lead with words—he led with rhythm. From storefronts to sanctuaries, the heartbeat of deliverance was often struck on a single snare drum. With every beat, every rhythm, Bishop Green wasn’t just keeping time—he was waging war in the spirit. That drum became an altar. A sound of praise. A sound of freedom. A sound of victory.
It wasn’t just music—it was ministry.
That sacred beat echoed through the decades, accompanying sermons, igniting shouts, and opening the floodgates of heaven. It was a signature rhythm of revival, crafted not for entertainment, but for engagement with the presence of God. In moments of high praise, when demonic strongholds needed to break and weary souls needed refreshing, that drum became the call to battle—and praise became the weapon.
This anointed rhythm became so impactful that it became replicated in sanctuaries across the region, then the nation. Many tried to capture the sound, to mirror the momentum, but few knew that what they were mimicking was not a mere beat—it was a God-given blueprint.
At the side of Bishop Green for years was his own brother, Deacon Sammy Green, a prolific percussionist in his own right. Deacon Sammy helped carry the cadence of deliverance alongside his brother for years, until relocating to the South. But the legacy he left behind? Still reverberates in the drums of COD musicians today.
That sound of deliverance—that drumbeat of praise—didn’t come from a song list. It came from an assignment. It was divinely inspired, spiritually birthed, and eternally effective.
And while generations have now played it, preached to it, danced to it, and even wept beneath its rhythm, we will forever credit the origin of this sacred sound to our father, the late Bishop McKinley Green.
He played until chains broke. Until bodies were healed. Until atmospheres aligned.
And now, we carry the beat forward—one rhythm at a time.
Written by Overseer Michael J. Battle
Secretary General
