A Divine Choice: John Starnes moves from rock and roll band to God's band

John Starnes' life is a testimony to the fact that God uses ordinary people to achieve extraordinary things for His kingdom.

Many will remember Starnes from the 1980s when he sang at large Jimmy Swaggart crusades around the world.

“It was a very, very special time,” Starnes told The Sun. “It was the period of my life which defined who I am today. I am forever grateful for that experience. Maybe one day I’ll write a book about it and tell of the great meetings we had.”

One of Starnes’ most memorable experiences was singing in front of an audience in India, officially estimated at more than one million people, during a Benny Hinn crusade a few years ago

Starnes has appeared on numerous television programs with, among others, Dr. Charles Stanley, John Hagee, and on Bill Gaither's Homecoming Friends. But there is more to this gospel singer than just his music. He is a much-requested speaker who shares his personal testimony and humor at churches, conferences and conventions around the world, and is also a licensed jet and helicopter pilot.

Starnes also realized a lifelong dream when he completed his college studies and graduated in May 2008 from Belmont University with a B.S. degree in liberal studies. Six months later, Canada Christian College in Toronto presented him with an honorary doctorate of sacred music degree. Over the last six years, Starnes has served on the Elder board of his home church, GracePointe, in Franklin, Tenn.

This former lead singer of Choice, a local Atlanta rock and roll band, came to know the Lord after years of searching. Life on the road, and the temptations that came with it, proved to be an empty substitute for the love that he so desperately craved — a love that only God could give.

“At the time, I didn’t understand why I was unsettled in my heart, but I just felt like it was time to move on in my life, although I didn’t have a clear direction as to where to go,” Starnes said. “Not too long after, I gave my heart to the Lord. Now I believe it was God who was leading me to Him.”

Starnes made the life-changing decision to leave the band and dedicated whatever gifts and talents he had to God and to full-time ministry. He then began his Christian music career in a big way  — with a big song.

“The first song I ever sang after becoming a Christian was ‘The Lord’s Prayer,’ ” he said. “I sang it in a tiny country church the evening after I had given my heart to the Lord in 1977 while driving a tractor on a farm in Newnan, Ga.”

Starnes moved back to Atlanta and attended Mt. Paran Church of God until he moved to Baton Rouge, La., in 1978 to work with Jimmy Swaggart Ministries. He continued to work there for more than 13 years as a singer and one of Swaggart’s pilots.

Although Starnes has been associated with Southern gospel music, he has always considered himself to be in the inspirational category.

“As with most gospel music, I endeavor to minister to the hearts and souls of the people listening,” he said. “I like to think of it as turning someone’s heart toward God with the music. The listener’s attention should be on God, not the singer when the music is over.”

“Jerusalem” and “Lighthouse” are two of Starnes’ most requested songs, and his performance of  “Beulah Land” is one of the most popular versions of the song. He also co-wrote “Singing With the Saints,” the title song of a platinum selling Gaither video and CD, as well as dozens of other songs. To hear his music, visit his Web site, www.johnstarnes.com.

“I tell people that songs are a lot like your children,” Starnes said. “You can’t say which one is the favorite because they are all special in some way. My mood, need, and place in life determine which song will touch me at that moment.”

To this day, Starnes continues to live out the promise he made to God so long ago. Through his music and testimony, he continues to encourage the church and remind them of their worth in the kingdom of God.

“A person should walk out of the concert with a focus on God rather than on me,” Starnes said. “I know that could perhaps sound a little too lofty of a goal, but I saw that once years ago when I left a theater with my family. The movie was ‘Air Force One’ with Harrison Ford. 

“One of my daughters turned to the other and said, ‘Wow, it’s great to be an American!’ It was an epiphany for me. She did not say anything about the actors, the film score, the cinematography or special effects. She simply got the ‘gist’ of the movie. I want people to leave with the ‘gist’ that God loves, cares and has a plan for them rather than be taken in by anything about me. I want the whole evening to be about the ‘gist’ — about God.”

And what will people see at a Starnes concert?

“First, they will see a guy who is a little older and more filled-out than the kid they used to watch on TV in the 80s,” he said. “They should also expect to enjoy a relaxed, fun, Spirit-filled evening, listening to all the old songs that I used to sing. We will probably laugh a little, too.”