Singer Tauren Wells Shares the Vision for His Brand-New Church in Texas (Exclusive)

Tauren Wells and his family are setting out on what they call an adventure of a lifetime.

This January, the 10-time Grammy nominee and his wife, Lorna Wells, plan to open a brand-new church in Williamson County, Texas.

Before hosting and performing at the 2023 GMA Dove Awards, Tauran explained his hope that the Church of Whitestone will help people discover their true identity through a whole-hearted relationship with Jesus.

"I think the greatest question that is being asked in culture today is the same question that's been asked all time: Who am I?" Tauren exclusively shared with The Messenger. "There are a thousand voices ready to step up and answer that question for us and to tell us who we are. It's your cultural upbringing, its ethnicity, its social status, all of these things that are really surface level things that our culture has tried to make the totality of who we are as human beings."

According to Tauren, his church is trying to get people "back toward their core essence."

"Who they are is deeper than their skin tone," he explained. "It's deeper than their sexuality. It's deeper than what's in their bank account. It's deeper than the letters that come after their last name. All of that is superficial surface level and not all-encompassing. The reality is every creation has a creator. If we have a creator, then wouldn't it be amazing to go to Him to ask Him to answer the question, 'Who am I?'"

For Tauren and his faith community, they believe that God "holds our true identity" and "owns the copyright to our soul, to our mind, to our ambitions, to our dreams, to our failures and our struggles, and that He can tell us who we are."

"We are okay with people disagreeing, coming to different conclusions," he added. "But I think if we gave God a seat at the table, we will be blown away by the truth that we get to peer into."

Since the release of his 2017 debut solo album Hills and Valleys, Tauren has developed a following with his contemporary Christian hits. As he continues to raise four boys with his wife, Tauren said he's "compelled to make music with a conscience." 

While opening a church may seem like a big project, it won't stop him from continuing his music career. 

"If I didn't make music, I'd die. At the same time, if we didn't plant this church, I would be disobedient," he shared. "Life is about seasons, and like everything in life, there is a season, and I'm just excited about what this next season is bringing for our family and ultimately bringing to the world for God's glory."

The 2023 GMA Dove Awards air Friday, Oct. 20, at 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. EST on TBN, with an audio simulcast airing on SiriusXM.