Gospel singer and 12-time Grammy Award winner CeCe Winans is calling on the next generation of Christian artists to "be anchored in the Word of God" and to have a home church.
During the 52nd Annual Dove Awards last Friday, Winans performed a rendition of her song "Believe for It."
At the event, she won awards for Gospel Artist of the Year, Gospel Worship Recorded Song of the Year, Gospel Worship Album of the Year and Inspirational Recorded Song of the Year.
"After so many years of doing this, I'm breathing harder … but it gets better," she told reporters after the awards ceremony. "It gets better. I feel so encouraged. And it reminds us that the Word of God is always relevant. It doesn't matter how old you get, the Word of God never gets old. And so I'm excited that I'm getting the chance to connect with the younger generation ... I'm honored to still be a part of this industry," she said.
Winans, 57, also shared that she was reminded of God's faithfulness when she recently became a grandmother.
"When you become a parent, you get a real revelation of God's love," she told The Christian Post. "When you become a grandparent, you get another surge of life. You understand the importance of everything in the world and how it will impact that little one. I am so honored to sing gospel music," she said.
"I'm so, so blessed that I truly believe in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. And I'm excited about God being a God of generations; that He keeps being faithful. I know my grandson Wyatt will be just fine," the singer continued.
Winans, who has performed with some of the biggest names in Christian and mainstream music, challenged the next generation of gospel artists to be rooted in a home church as well as the Scriptures.
"It's not easy, as glamorous as it looks. It's not easy to be an artist. It's so important that you really have a relationship with Him, and not just out here singing a song," she told The Christian Post. "Because you're going to face hard times ... you want to be anchored in the Word of God. You want to be anchored in a home church."
Winans also debunked the notion that gospel artists don't need a home church because of their music careers.
"As artists, and as young people, we feel like, because we sing gospel music, we don't need to [have a] home church," the gospel artist said. "That is not true. I could preach on that all night ... you need to be in a place that you can get poured into because we're always pouring out. Through that relationship, you understand who you are."
Photo courtesy: ©Getty Images/Jason Kempin/Staff
Milton Quintanilla is a freelance writer and content creator. He is a contributing writer for CrosswalkHeadlines and the host of the For Your Soul Podcast, a podcast devoted to sound doctrine and biblical truth. He holds a Masters of Divinity from Alliance Theological Seminary.