Christian recording artist and Church of Whitestone co-lead pastor Tauren Wells opened up about the pressure of ministry and a lesson he is learning: spending time with God without a project attached.
“I’ve been really good at doing projects with God, but I have not been great at just being with Him,” Wells told The Christian Post.
In the interview published Sept. 30, Wells recalled driving last year with so much on his mind that he felt close to a panic attack. He described feeling alone in that moment, even though he had a supportive wife, a pastor and close friends he could turn to.
Wells brought the experience to his counselor, who asked him to examine what his time with God actually involved. That question challenged a habit the singer recognized in himself: staying busy doing things for God while giving less attention to simply being with Him.
“What does it look like to just be with God, not doing things for Him?” Wells said that question has shaped his growth over the past year.
The responsibilities extend beyond his music career. Wells and his wife, Lorna, lead Church of Whitestone in Cedar Park, Texas, and are raising their sons alongside that work.
The singer entered church planting with plenty of ideas about how he could make a difference. The experience, he told The Christian Post, ended up changing his own priorities in ways he had not anticipated.
Related: Tauren Wells Launches New Church: ‘Just The Beginning’
“The biggest thing that has changed is me,” Wells said, describing the personal growth that came with leading the congregation.
He also described practical ways he tries to keep those responsibilities in perspective. Wells regularly attends counseling and gives church overseers access to his schedule, with permission to tell him when he is taking on too much.
That desire for God’s presence also runs through his forthcoming album, Here Comes The Church (Live), due Oct. 2, 2026. Wells recalled a moment during the recording when the musicians stopped playing and the audience kept worshiping; he said the album preserves some of that response.
The Capitol Christian Music Group store described the album as a live recording from ACL Live in Austin and lists guest artists Tiffany Hudson, Israel Houghton, Tasha Cobbs Leonard and Naomi Raine, among others. Its focus on worship and community fits the lesson Wells says he is learning away from the stage.
Wells also addressed the Church’s damaged reputation after scandals and pastoral failures. He acknowledged its imperfections while pointing to Scripture’s accounts of God’s grace, redemption and restoration.
“My heart really is that the beauty of the Church would be restored in the eyes of the people,” Wells told The Christian Post.
His most personal illustration came from home. Wells compared his relationship with God to what he wants his own children to understand: their father loves being with them, apart from anything they might accomplish.
“How ironic that what God really wants is me, not what I can do for Him,” he reflected.
For Wells, the work continues, but usefulness no longer tells the whole story of his relationship with God. The singer hopes the new album encourages listeners to see God afresh, even in the middle of a difficult or unfinished chapter.
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