Tauren Wells on church scandal, burnout and rediscovering God’s presence

Tauren Wells thought planting a church would be about what he could give to God, but instead, for the 11-time Grammy-nominated artist and pastor, the experience exposed how much God wanted to change him. “I thought that I was going to plant a church and exert all of this change into the world,” the 40-year-old Michigan native said. “I was going to get all my ideas and all of my vision out, and I'm going to change the city and change the church. The biggest thing that has changed is me. ” The husband and father of four, who launched Church of Whitestone in the Austin, Texas area in 2024 after already having a successful music career, reflected on how the weight of those responsibilities became particularly acute last year when he found himself driving and feeling as though he was on the verge of a panic attack.