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Malchak has been the worship leader at Hilton Head Presbyterian Church since 2006 and before that led worship at Church of the Cross in Bluffton. But he said he spent many years running from God. And although he was raised in a church, he had no faith.
As a singer/songwriter in Nashville, Tenn., Malchak did well for himself, winning several independent awards, including song of the year and best new artist at the Nashville Music Fest in 1988, as well as single of the year and male vocalist of the year at The Independent Music Awards in 1988. He was named one of Billboard magazine's Top 10 New Country Artists of 1987. He has performed with such legendary artists as Willie Nelson, Vince Gill, Alison Krauss and Kenny Rogers. In 1993 he played at Farm Aid VI, which aired on TNN to 200 million viewers.
But all of his success didn't fulfill him.
"I really wasn't living for Christ," Malchak said. "And that reflected in my lifestyle."
He had been drinking and doing drugs since he was 12 years old, but finally gave it up in 1995 when he got tired of feeling lousy. Twenty-six years of drug use had taken a toll on his body.
Now he's older and wiser, and he's been clean for 15 years. "I've gone from cocaine to Rogaine," he jokes.
He said God put Christians in his life to witness to him after he got sober. He said he blew them off for a long time, but finally gave in and started taking them seriously.
But it wasn't until 1999 that Malchak gave his life to Christ. He was driving to Bluffton from a business conference in Kentucky one night when he turned on the radio in his rental car. It was set to a Christian radio station. He had never listened to a Christian radio station in his life, but he decided to give it a chance. The song playing on the radio was "The Anchor Holds." He said he felt like God was speaking to him through the words of the song. He pulled over to a rest area, repented and turned his life over to God.
"My own mortality came into light to me," he said. "I realized that one day I was going to die, and I was going to have to stand before a holy God in judgment, and I didn't like what he would've seen at that point if I was going to die that day. ... I knew that without a savior, it became very clear to me at that point that I was destined for an eternity in Hell."
From that day, he put all his faith in Jesus and says he was born again. Malchak added that life was not easy after that point. He went through a divorce and a lot of personal trauma.
"In the process of all of that, I think my faith became stronger," he said, adding with a laugh, "I certainly got some great songs out of it."
After that, Malchak started writing Christian songs. He recorded his first Christian CD and founded Tim Malchak Ministries in 2001. One of his songs, "Be My Peace," went to the Top 10 for United Christian Broadcasters in the U.K. in 2004. He said God gave him that song to help him through the healing process.
"I had nothing to do with it," he said. "When God can use you in that sense to touch other lives, there's just no greater joy on this earth."
Hilton Head Presbyterian Pastor Clent Ilderton said Malchak has touched many lives through his ministry. He said he is a great person with an extraordinary talent, a good sense of humor and a caring heart.
"We are really blessed to have Tim and his ministry here at our church," Ilderton said.
Malchak's ministry goes beyond music, though. When he's not worshipping God through his music, he often can be found preaching on the streets of Savannah and just about everywhere he goes. He also volunteers several times a year at Ridgeland Correctional Institution, where he ministers to inmates.
His newest CD, the all-acoustic
"Sovereign King," was released May 5 and is available at Heaven Sent Gift & Bookstore in Bluffton and online at www.malchak.com. Malchak describes the CD as an intimate worship experience that is an accurate representation of how he presents his music in concert -- just him and his guitar.
"I guess if I had a goal for this music ... it would find its way into as many other churches as possible so (the songs) could be used to glorify God on a grand scale," Malchak said. "That's my biggest prayer."
