Seeing a need to educate current and future worship leaders in the African-American church, faith-based media magnate Dr. Teresa Hairston created the Gospel Heritage Foundation in 1994. From this endeavour the Gospel Heritage Conference was birthed and thereafter the Gospel Heritage Praise & Worship Mass Choir was formed whereby a few albums were recorded. These projects, Gospel Today Magazine Presents: Praise & Worship 2002 and Gospel Today Presents: Praise & Worship III delivered hugely popular songs such as "Magnify" and "Safety" (featuring Lucretia Campbell) and "Feet on the Rock." To lead the next iteration, Gospel Heritage 2.0 Next Wave of Praise, Dr. Hairston called on hit songwriter and producer VaShawn Mitchell. Produced by Mitchell and Thomas Hardin Jr., Next Wave Of Praise focuses on the new sound of Praise & Worship in the African-American church akin to Todd Dulaney, Tasha Cobbs-Leonard and William McDowell to name a few.