Faith & Reflection: Voices from the Black Church and Beyond
- Hymns embody the Word of God, remaining potent and relevant across generations, dispelling darkness and grounding faith.
- As CeCe Winans insists, older believers must intentionally pass the baton, discipling youth to ensure lasting faith.
- Churches must unite young and older believers, listening across ages to stay relevant while upholding core, nonnegotiable truths.
- Prioritize relationship with God through prayer and Scripture; integrity and humble submission to elders provide safety for faithful, steady living.
CeCe Winans released the award winning album the Hymns and a new book Faith for Generations all this year. UrbanFaith interviewed her about her new projects and why it matters for her to share her wisdom and faith with the next generation. The full podcast interview is below and excerpts edited for clarity and length follow.
Allen: Your album The Hymns returns to something foundational for many believers. Why was it important for you to record it?
CeCe Winans: Well, I think you said it, it’s the foundation of the church musically. I don’t think there’s anything more powerful than the hymns, and I think it’s important that the younger generation stays connected to it, every generation. And even with this, it wasn’t really the plan to do an album. I wanted to do some content for the world we live in now, something stripped, just vocal and piano to show the power of the hymns that could minister to people. Didn’t know how it would be received, but just felt like it would touch people where they needed to be touched, encourage them, remind them, and I see that it’s doing that. So that was really the heart behind it: let’s stay connected to the foundation.
Allen: What does it mean to share faith across generations through the hymns?
CeCe Winans: Yeah, it’s just powerful. The word of God, and that’s the thing, the hymns, it’s really the word of God put to music. I Have Decided to Follow Jesus, Amazing Grace, The Cross, At the Cross, it just brings you to the real foundation, and that is the word of God. And whenever the word of God goes out, it doesn’t return back void, but it will accomplish what it was sent to do. And so it’s powerful, it’s potent. I think the hymns are the most potent songs you could ever sing because of that. A lot of them were written through struggle, through the sufferings of Christ. And when you release that into the atmosphere, it dispels darkness. It does what the word does. To be the vessel to sing them is an honor, knowing that they really don’t need anything else.
Allen: How do you see hymns, some of which are more than 100 years old, connecting with what is relevant today?
CeCe Winans: Well, it’s the same as the word. The word never gets old. God is ancient but He’s always relevant. The Word of God never loses its power. God is a God of generations. I think we live in a time where we’re trying to cater to what’s new, that we forget that what’s old is what works. And when I think about those I was raised by, I knew that they had something that lasts, something that was worth dying for.
Allen: You also have the devotional book Faith for Generations. Why was it important to focus on sharing faith across generations?
CeCe Winans: When you get to be my age, 61, I was raised in the church and I am here today only, I am strong in my faith only because of those who went before me, my mom, my grandma, the mothers of the church, the elders, the pastors, people who truly love God and lived a life of holiness in front of me and taught me the ways of the Lord. That is the only reason I know who I am. That’s the only reason that I will not be moved. It hit me quite a few years ago that it’s your turn. Age, time go by and it’s like, okay, now you’re the mother of the church. Who are you pouring into? Whose life are you going to make sure that they get the baton and that they’re strong in their faith? You get to a point in life where life cannot be about you anymore. Being a mom, being a grandmother, seeing what your grandkids gotta be raised in, I gotta change my focus and make sure I’m focusing on passing this baton in a way that will carry the faith on. I do believe I am still here because of the call that is on my life to prepare the next generation, and I wanna awaken that in those who are my age and older.
Unless you’re willing to be corrected you will not reach your full potential. And we’re living in a time where people don’t wanna hear the older generation. I’m like, guys, you don’t understand. That’s where your life lies. That’s where the answers are in those who have gone before you. So with the generations devotional, teaching them that the word of God is the only thing that’s gonna keep you. It’s not your talent, it’s not your gift, it’s not how much money you have. It’s really understanding that the word of God brings life and it will help you in every part of your life.
Allen: What can churches and leaders learn from bringing younger and older generations together?
CeCe Winans: You gotta get young people around you. A lot of times people say, “Well, how have you been relevant?” And I tell all the producers, I’m 61, I’m not trying to be 16. But having young people around you keeps you relevant. So we need one another, and we have to focus on our youth. We have to be able to hear them and understand that we won’t agree, that there are some things that are not non-negotiable. But most things are negotiable.
Allen: What advice would you give a young person who wants to be impactful and live faithfully?
CeCe Winans: Well, the first thing is to prioritize. You gotta keep your relationship with the Lord. That’s gotta be the most important thing. Throughout my years, I can remember when I was 17, 16, it’s like prayer, being at prayer, being in your word. Understand the importance of submitting to the older generation. I know I stayed out of a lot of trouble because I submitted. And I know we’re living in a time where submission is a bad word, but submission to me is safety. So keeping God first is the number one thing, because when you make that commitment to Christ, it really will lead and guide your life. Having a life of integrity, being a person of character, is keeping God first. And when the Bible says, “Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness, and everything else will be added,” that has proven true throughout my life, keeping God first.
It’s just like when you know who you are in Christ, then that’s where your value comes from. That’s where your identity comes from, not if I’m on the charts this week or not. That’s how you live a life of a rollercoaster. But to be steady, again, going back to those hymns, going back to the word, that’s the anchor.
Allen: Thank you so much for the time, Ms. Winans, and God continue to bless your ministry. I know it has blessed me.
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