Granger Smith reveals why he's leaving Country music to pursue God in ministry
Country superstar Granger Smith says self-idolatry is what led to his decision to leave Country music and pursue a life working in ministry.
Smith first made the announcement on social media earlier this month, surprising and shocking his millions of fans.
In a separate statement to the public, Smith said he had decided to “exit the music touring business to move towards a new chapter in his life.”
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"It's something I've known myself for a little bit, at least my family and my team, but recently announced to the world that I would be stepping down from music touring and essentially replacing that time with ministry — in a very loose sense of the term,” Smith told The Christian Post.
"It's not clearly defined what my ministry will be, besides the fact that I'll be attending seminary continuing that. Pouring into my own local church and letting them teach and disciple me,” he continued.
It's yet unknown whether Smith will continue making music, but he told CP he's pulling the plug on touring as a country singer. His “Like A River” farewell tour kicked off on April 13 and runs through Aug. 26.
During his tour, Smith will release a memoir titled, Like aRiver: Finding the Faith and Strength to Move Forward After Loss and Heartache, on Aug. 1. He believes part of his ministry is to share his book's message worldwide.
Smith's decision to leave country music was a “very gradual” one. He first left his major recording contract in October 2021, and that was his “first big step.”
"The first big thing was giving up really chasing country radio. Promoting singles was taking up the biggest amount of time in my touring, so I realized I can't do all of this at the same time. So, I left the record label, and a year later when I started realizing that it wasn't enough. Touring was also something I needed to surrender, which just goes to show you that 'Hey, maybe there's more stuff, but it's just one step at a time.'
"There's this argument that people give me, and it's a good argument. They say, 'Well, you have a great platform and a lot of people watching you and following you.' You're going to these concerts, these people come [and say], 'God will redeem that. God will use that for His glory. So just go with it. Be the country singer who preaches the Gospel from the stage and be a light in a dark place,'” Smith recounted.
The Texas native said he “wrestled” with walking away from music for “a long time.”
“We see revealed in the Scripture, in some sense, God's saying, 'Don't tell me how to get my glory. Don't tell me how you are going to give me glory. I tell you that. I decide that. And I decide that on whatever level it's going to be. I decide if it's the old widow that gives everything she has, which was just a couple of pennies. If that brings me glory, that brings me glory. It's not about building yourself up and making you as big as you can be so you can preach to a wider audience and give a lot of money. I don't need your money. I don't need your audience. I don't need your platform. I don't need your stage.'
"It's us as humans, we're the ones that decide the bigger the platform, the more glory. God says, 'I've never said that.' So this is something that I had to unpack over a long period of time — that it's the self-idolatry that was always the problem with me,” Smith confessed.
As a country artist, Smith found himself getting on stage and “needing praise and craving it.” Smith said that performers often look at the crowd for validation and worship, which is not in line with his renewed devotion to faith in Christ.
"That's a big problem. I'm not going up with humility, saying, 'It doesn't matter if there's just one person out there. That's all that matters. It's not about us. It's about the one person.' I wish I could really mean that. But I can't. It's because I can't [that] I have to strip it away. It's idolatry,” he maintained.
Although Smith isn't sure what's next for him in ministry, he often preaches at his home church and is studying for a master's degree at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.
"I do get out and occasionally get to go to a church and teach a little bit, which I love. [That] gives me a little bit of an alarm because I do love it and I think I have to be careful with that. If I start loving this, what am I loving about it?” he revealed.
The father and husband intends to spend this time pouring into his local church while allowing his leaders to pour into him.
“They could teach me ... help affirm, like, 'Hey, Granger, you're seeking the wrong things here or you keep following this, you're doing great!’” he illustrated. “Then one day, maybe it's a church, maybe I'm just a traveling guy, maybe I'm just an elder in my local church and I teach there. But the great thing about it is, I don't have to decide that today.”
Smith said his memoir is more important to him than leaving country music. The book details his journey through the grief that followed the death of his young son, River, in 2019.
Since then, the musician has dedicated his life to sharing his hope in Jesus. Smith grew up in a Christian home and identified as a Christian, but it was only after the death of his son that he anchored himself in the Word and grew in his faith.
"When people ask me questions about grief or losing my son or they talk to me about how my family, how we operate as a family under God, how I was reborn, the progression I made, the work that God did in me, all those questions, everything, is all in the book. It's a great beginning of what I want to be able to teach and show. A book is so intimate, people will be reading this book or listening to the audiobook, and it'll feel like I'm having a conversation with them because that's how I feel when I read a book.”
“They'll be in their living room, having an intimate storytime with me, on something that's very personal to me in many ways in my life. So that's going to be more important than touring, because to start the conversation with that book will then kickstart many other deeper conversations,” he added.
Tickets for Smith’s farewell tour are now available on his website and the book Like a Riveris available for pre-order wherever books are sold.
Jeannie Ortega Law is a reporter for The Christian Post. Reach her at: jeannie.law@christianpost.com She's also the author of the book, What Is Happening to Me? How to Defeat Your Unseen Enemy Follow her on Twitter: @jlawcp Facebook: JeannieOMusic
