Cover Story
Gospel singer CeCe Winans has won 18 Grammy Awards, 30 Dove Awards, and has stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and the Nashville Music City Walk of Fame. As her popularity continues to rise, her goal has not changed. She simply wants to use her voice and music to bring listeners to the feet of Jesus.
Deep Musical Roots. Born in Detroit, Mich., Winans grew up in a musical family. In fact, all of her nine siblings grew up singing. Her parents even met while singing in a community gospel choir! “We all sang. We thought it was something every family did. As we got older, we realized it wasn’t a normal thing,” Winans shares, adding that several of her siblings have gone on to become recording artists. Winans sang her first solo when she was eight years old in the children’s choir at church. “I’ve always loved to sing, but I didn’t like singing out front. I was very comfortable in the background.” She continued to sing at church – preferring to not be center stage – and eventually began recording background vocals for different artists. “One thing led to another, the doors started opening, and I realized that God had a purpose for my life and my gift of singing, and I was being called to step out and be in the front,” Winans says, adding, “My passion for the Lord and my passion for music has been there for many, many years. I’m just humbled that God decided to use me and allow me to go around the world to sing His praises.” 
A Foundation of Faith. Winans gave her life to Christ when she was seven years old. Being raised in a Christian home, she was surrounded by strong faith influences. “I fell in love with the presence of the Lord going to prayer with my grandmother. I sensed His presence when she would pray for me and anoint me with oil,” Winans says. Hearing the teachings of the Word of God served to strengthen her faith. “I’ve been a believer for a long time now, and I am so glad that God has kept me at His feet because I really fell in love with Him.” Winans has several faith habits she does to continue to grow in her faith. She is dedicated to gathering regularly with other believers at church. “I cannot stress the importance of the local church enough. Nowadays, we feel like we can do church on our own and we don’t need people, but the church is God’s idea. Church is the gathering of His people, and being in that environment with believers has made all of the difference in my life,” Winans says. “I thank God for the community of believers that were there to teach me what was right, to tell me what I needed to hear – not what I wanted to hear – as a kid growing up, as a teenager and young adult, and as a wife and mother. They discipled me.” Because of that foundation, she was taught to stay in the Word of God and to have a true relationship with Jesus. For Winans, that looks like getting up in the morning to pray and spend time in the Word. “I make sure my schedule is centered around God and not God being centered around me. Put God first, and that shows in the choices you make every day.”
Faith Influences. Winans has several people in her life that have impacted her faith walk. Her late father, David “Pop” Winans Sr., who passed away in 2009, modeled for her what faith lived out looks like. Another important faith influence in her life is Pastor Chris Hodges, the Founding Pastor at Church of the Highlands in Birmingham. Winans and her husband Alvin Love II started Nashville Life Church 15 years ago in Nashville, Tenn. Early on in the ministry, the couple traveled to the Magic City to attend Church of the Highlands’ Grow Conference for churches across the nation and have been coming back ever since. “He [Hodges] has really influenced us and blessed us in so many ways through his faith and what God has done.” Winans even travels to Birmingham often to teach students at Highlands College. Her friend, Bridget Hilliard, is also a faith influence. “She is one of those people that her house could be on fire, and she’ll be like, ‘Lord, You’re so good. Everything’s going to be great.’ She is just full of faith.”
Standing on the Word of God. Winans has faced many hard seasons in her life. Her older brother Ronald passed away unexpectedly in 2005. Eight years before his passing, her brother was healed by God on the operating table after a massive heart attack. Doctors thought Ronald had passed during the operation, asked the family to pray, continued the surgery, and “the next thing we heard was that Ronald was going to recover,” Winans shares. Years later, doctors performed another surgery to repair a few things but Ronald did not make it through. “I remember my younger sister asked me, ‘CeCe, how are we going to make it without our Ronald?’ and I was just like, ‘I don’t know, but we know the God who will carry us. We sing about it. We teach about it. Now, we gotta walk it out.’ God has been faithful. He’s been faithful to carry us through that pain and loss.” Reflecting on that season of deep grief, Winans shares that she saw God in a new way. “You know, He shows up in a whole different way that you wouldn’t know without that particular pain.” 
Dedicated to Worship. For Winans, worship isn’t just a song but a lifestyle. “Worship means love. It’s offering your whole life. It’s a response to the love of God. We express our worship with song and praise, but it’s a lifestyle. Everybody can praise God, but only those who are intimate with Him can worship Him.” As her popularity continues to rise, her purpose and motivation behind her songs and tours haven’t changed. “That is to share the good news of Jesus Christ. And it’s packaged in all different styles. Everything is to bring adoration, awareness, and praise to the Father.” When asked what her favorite song to perform is, Winans joked it’s like picking a favorite child. She loves to sing “Alabaster Box,” which never fails to bring tears to her eyes. Another favorite is “Goodness of God.” Her cover of this song has over 276 million views on YouTube! “To see what God has done with it… It has struck a chord in the hearts of people, believers and non-believers. It touches my heart every time because it’s my testimony.” 
Come Worship! Winans will be in Birmingham at the BJCC on October 21, 2026 for a night of worship with Charity Gayle, RED Worship, and Terrain. “My prayer is that those who are at the concert with me would understand the beauty of yielding and allowing God to use them like never before… If we come ready to really worship God in spirit and in truth, I believe miracles will happen. We want to see salvation, we want to see healing, and we want the presence of God to be evident to everybody. Our prayer every night is that we really will experience true worship because when that happens, God can do those things that only He can do.”
Philippians 4:13 is one of Winans’ favorite Bible verses that she has leaned on during different seasons of life. In this current season of touring, being a wife, mother, grandmother to four grandchildren, and pouring into the next generation, this verse reminds her that God goes before her, even when she is tired. “I can do this because He is in me, and we are just the vessels. Over the years, I’ve learned that all God needs from you is the yes. It’s not dependent on your talent. It’s not dependent on your intelligence. It’s not dependent on anything except your ability to yield to Him to do what He wants to do.”
-Melissa Armstrong
