Winans sang her hit, “Goodness of God,” which she sang on national television for the 2024 season finale of “American Idol.”
“If God be for you, who can be against you?” asked Winans. “When you recognize who Jesus is, you can’t help but worship him.”
Winans ended her concert with “That’s My King,” a song she wrote and recorded just last year.
More Than a Musician, CeCe Winans Speaks of Service for the Kingdom
Grateful to have grown up in the church, Winans was part of a large family—with nine siblings. Her recording career began at age 17, but she was singing and serving well before that.
“I fell in love with the presence of God as a young child and I’m so glad I did, because it’s a safe place,” she said told NPR. “He’s blessed me with a great family.”
Winans, along with her husband, Alvin Love II, founded a Nashville Life Church, a nondenominational church in southern Nashville, Tennessee. They have since handed over the reins of leadership to their son, Alvin Love III.
“We have to learn that we can’t wait until people are perfect before they get into position,” Winans said in an interview. “It has been amazing. He has grown the church, but I just love the way he does things totally different than what we did ’em but yet it’s so much better. So, no regrets. Praise God.”
Her recent book, “Believe for It: Passing on Faith to the Next Generation,” encapsulates her own experience of key people who helped shape her faith. The book includes engaging “questions at the end of each chapter to help readers foster their own intergenerational conversations.”
Winans also co-hosts a podcast, “Generations,” with her daughter, Ashley Phillips. The podcast has echoed much of Winans’ convictions of intergenerational ministry.
“The private ministry is the thing that fuels your public worship,” Winans said. “This is an urgent need for all of us as believers, especially those my age and older, to get busy pouring into the next generation. There’s somebody that you can pour into that’s coming up after you.”
 was invited to NPR's Tiny Desk in Washington, D.C., to sing and celebrate as part of Black Music Month.){kind=link}