Feature Photo: Toa Nidhiki05, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
MercyMe formed in 1994 after vocalist Bart Millard, keyboardist James Bryson, and guitarist Michael Scheuchzer began pursuing full-time music ministry together. The group was officially established in Edmond, Oklahoma, before later relocating to Texas, where the musicians lived, rehearsed, and recorded in an abandoned daycare center. MercyMe released six independent albums before signing with INO Records and issuing its major-label debut, Almost There, in 2001.
The album became a major success through “I Can Only Imagine,” a song Millard had originally written for the independent release The Worship Project. The recording crossed from Christian radio into mainstream formats and became one of the most commercially successful Christian songs ever released. Almost There was certified triple platinum, while “I Can Only Imagine” later received a five-times-platinum certification.
MercyMe followed that breakthrough with albums including Spoken For, Undone, Coming Up to Breathe, All That Is Within Me, The Generous Mr. Lovewell, The Hurt & the Healer, Welcome to the New, Lifer, Inhale (Exhale), Always Only Jesus, and Wonder & Awe. The band also released two Christmas albums and built one of the most enduring catalogs in contemporary Christian music.
Wonder & Awe, released on August 8, 2025, was promoted as MercyMe’s twelfth studio project. The album continued the group’s blend of pop, rock, worship music, and personal testimony. MercyMe has received six Grammy Award nominations and numerous Dove and American Music Awards while maintaining the same five-member lineup since founding keyboardist Jim Bryson retired in 2014.
The band’s story reached movie audiences through I Can Only Imagine in 2018. Its sequel, I Can Only Imagine 2, was released on February 20, 2026, continuing the dramatized story of Bart Millard, MercyMe, and the personal experiences behind the band’s music.
Current Members
Bart Millard
Bart Millard was born on December 1, 1972, and is MercyMe’s lead vocalist, principal lyricist, and a founding member. He formed the band with James Bryson and Michael Scheuchzer in 1994 after becoming involved in church music ministry and deciding to pursue music full-time.
Millard has appeared on every MercyMe independent and major-label release. His emotionally direct singing became the defining element of songs including “I Can Only Imagine,” “Word of God Speak,” “Here with Me,” “Homesick,” “All of Creation,” “Greater,” “Even If,” and “Almost Home.”
He wrote “I Can Only Imagine” after the death of his father, drawing from his own grief and his Christian faith. The song first appeared on The Worship Project and later became the centerpiece of Almost There. Its success brought MercyMe to a much larger audience and established Millard as one of contemporary Christian music’s best-known songwriters.
Outside MercyMe, Millard released the solo albums Hymned, No. 1 in 2005 and Hymned Again in 2008. The latter earned him a Grammy nomination. His life and the story behind “I Can Only Imagine” inspired the 2018 film of the same name and its 2026 sequel.
Michael John Scheuchzer
Michael John Scheuchzer is MercyMe’s guitarist, keyboardist, and backing vocalist. He joined Bart Millard and James Bryson in 1994 and became one of the band’s three founding members. Along with Millard, he is one of the two original musicians who remain active in the group.
Scheuchzer has performed on every MercyMe release, from the independent albums through Wonder & Awe. His guitar playing helped the band move from the rock-oriented sound of its early recordings into the polished pop-rock and worship arrangements heard on its major-label albums.
He has also contributed keyboards, background vocals, songwriting, and studio ideas throughout the group’s career. His work has remained central to MercyMe’s live sound as the band has moved between intimate worship songs, guitar-driven rock performances, and large contemporary Christian concert productions.
Barry Graul
Barry Graul joined MercyMe as a second guitarist in 2003. Before becoming a permanent member, he had already built an extensive career as a touring and session musician, performing with artists and groups including Whitecross, DC Talk, TobyMac, Tait, Audio Adrenaline, and Michael Sweet.
Graul first appeared during the period surrounding Undone. His arrival gave MercyMe a two-guitar lineup and expanded the band’s ability to combine layered electric parts, acoustic textures, and heavier rock arrangements.
He has performed on every MercyMe studio album from Undone through Wonder & Awe. Graul has also contributed backing vocals and songwriting, sharing writing credits with the other members on numerous later recordings.
Nathan Cochran
Nathan Cochran joined MercyMe as bassist and backing vocalist in 1998. He became part of the group during its independent period, before the release of Almost There and the breakthrough success of “I Can Only Imagine.”
Cochran has appeared on every major-label MercyMe studio project. His bass playing provided the foundation for songs ranging from the restrained arrangement of “I Can Only Imagine” to the more rhythmic and rock-oriented material on Coming Up to Breathe, Lifer, and Inhale (Exhale).
He has also contributed keyboards, piano, background vocals, songwriting, and business responsibilities within the band. Cochran’s long tenure has made him an important part of both MercyMe’s music and its internal organization.
Robin Troy “Robby” Shaffer
Robin Troy “Robby” Shaffer joined MercyMe as drummer and percussionist in 1997. He entered during the band’s independent years and helped establish the rhythm section that remained in place when Nathan Cochran joined the following year.
Shaffer has performed on MercyMe’s independent recordings and every major-label studio project from Almost There through Wonder & Awe. His drumming supports the band’s wide stylistic range, from soft worship ballads to pop-rock singles and larger concert arrangements.
He has also contributed backing vocals and songwriting to later MercyMe recordings. Shaffer’s consistent playing and long association with the group have made him one of the central members of the band’s established lineup.
Former Members
James Phillip “Jim” Bryson
James Phillip “Jim” Bryson was MercyMe’s founding keyboardist and remained with the group from 1994 until 2014. He met Bart Millard through church music ministry, and the two traveled to Europe with a praise team before deciding to pursue music full-time. Michael Scheuchzer soon joined them, completing the original trio.
Bryson performed on all six independent albums and on MercyMe’s major-label releases from Almost There through Welcome to the New. His piano and keyboard arrangements were particularly important to the group’s ballads and worship-oriented material.
His work can be heard throughout “I Can Only Imagine,” “Word of God Speak,” “Homesick,” “God with Us,” and many other MercyMe recordings. Bryson retired from performing with the band in 2014 after approximately twenty years.
David Cowan
David Cowan performed drums during MercyMe’s earliest formation period. His tenure came before the group’s national success and before the lineup heard on Almost There had been established.
Cowan participated while MercyMe was still playing church events, youth conferences, and local performances. Public documentation of his work with the group is limited, but his contribution belongs to the band’s pre-label history.
Trent Austin
Trent Austin served as a drummer during MercyMe’s early independent years before Robby Shaffer joined in 1997. He performed while the band was developing its original rock and worship sound and building an audience through live appearances.
Austin played on early independent recordings, including material from the period surrounding Pleased to Meet You and Traces of Rain. He also helped connect MercyMe with Shaffer, who became the group’s permanent drummer.
Kendall Combes
Kendall Combes served as MercyMe’s bassist and backing vocalist during the band’s formative independent period. He performed with the group before Nathan Cochran joined in 1998.
Combes contributed to early recordings and live performances while MercyMe was still developing its sound and operating outside the major-label music industry. His bass work supported the group’s original rock-influenced material and early worship songs.
Jim Richmond
Jim Richmond performed guitar with MercyMe during the group’s earliest years. His time with the band came before its major-label breakthrough and before the long-term two-guitar combination of Michael Scheuchzer and Barry Graul.
Richmond participated in MercyMe’s local performances and early creative development. Limited public information is available about his work after leaving the group.
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Updated August 1, 2026.
Complete List Of MercyMe Band Members article published on ClassicRockHistory.com © 2026
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