I don’t like going back on my word, but I feel like I need to follow up last month’s Passing The Mic column with a few more personal thoughts. We may resume with interviews next month, but for now I will refrain from making any promises. In the mean time, let’s talk about encouragement.
It has been a blessing for me to have added many Southern Gospel artist friends to my quiver over the last several years. As a fan, I do my best to not be intrusive and to always be self-aware of the immense volume of time that is requested by faithful fans of the artists. After all, the accessibility of artists to fans is one thing that sets our music apart from other genres. So, I never want to be a pest or a bother. But I absolutely do my best to take intentional time to be an encourager to my Southern Gospel singing friends through texts, calls, emails, and personal visits during concerts. I especially make it a point to make sure that our younger artists, every single one of them, know that “PaPaw” Scott is firmly in their corner, cheering them on from the sidelines. And, there is a reason that being an encourager means so much to me.
As a young person, I was a product of a broken home which led to me being a very troubled teen. Most folks would never know just how much I struggled with self-esteem and confidence thanks to the rough environment that I grew up in as a kid, because I worked hard to cover up what I was really feeling on the inside. But I always fought a battle of self-esteem and confidence within, no matter if I was playing sports or singing with the regional group The Bama Boys. During those troubled years, the Lord blessed me by sending encouragers into my life. Some of my encouragers were family members, and some were other adults like coaches, teachers, and other singers. No matter how bad things got, and no matter how much I struggled, my encouragers always spoke just the right words at just the right time to lift me up out of the mire and muck in my mind. I don’t know what I would have done without my encouragers. They were truly a Godsend in my life.
And so, as I have grown as an adult, and as I was blessed with the opportunity to lead and mentor young people in my roles as a student pastor and a community volunteer in our school, it has become my personal mission to pay forward the blessings that I received as a kid by becoming an encourager to my young friends. As I have been blessed to become more and more active in the Southern Gospel community, I have continued my mission to try to be an intentional encourager. It is my hope and prayer that all artists, but especially the younger generation of Southern Gospel artists, have seen me as an encouraging friend. I believe in the incredible young generation of singers and musicians that we have in Southern Gospel music, and I will always be rooting for them from the cheap seats!
Southern Gospel Music has had its fair share of encouragers through the years. Many of today’s veteran singers and musicians were intentionally mentored by the legends of the past. George Younce and Glen Payne are always mentioned by leaders in our industry as being encouragers to them during their young careers. Other Hall of Famers who are known for their encouragement include Jake Hess, Vestal Goodman, Bill Gaither, Les Beasley, Claude and Connie Hopper, Rex Nelon, and many more. I would fathom to guess that many of the current leaders in our music would say that they would not be where they are today without the mentorship and encouragement of these legends who passed along the mic…
During our Southern Gospel Forward live podcasts, I do not pose many questions to our guests as I let my young partners have the floor and I serve as a moderator. However, when I get the chance to ask a question, I enjoy asking for the guest to name current Southern Gospel artists who have taken the time to intentionally mentor and encourage them as a young artist. Over the nearly three years of our broadcast, I have noticed that the same names get mentioned when young artists begin to list their encouragers. Names that are regularly mentioned as encouragers to our young artists include (but are not limited to): Gerald Wolfe, Rodney Griffin, Ernie Haase, Gary Casto, Karen Peck Gooch, Danny Funderburk, Arthur Rice, Eric Bennett, Pat Barker, Michael Booth, Jim and Melissa Brady, Dean and Kim Hopper, Jeff Snyder, and Lauren Talley. I hesitated to list names, because many others have been named during interviews, but the aforementioned artists are consistently mentioned when thankfulness is expressed for encouragement and mentorship. For our young artists, these encouraging mentors are vitally important. In a world filled with negativity and noise, it is imperative that our young people hear positive, loving words of encouragement.
And that’s where you come in. I would like to encourage you as a reader to become an encourager to our young artists and musicians in Southern Gospel music, if you are not already serving in that capacity. Critics and naysayers are a dime a dozen, but encouragers are worth more than diamonds and pearls to the ears of the young person who is doing their very best to hone their craft and share the Gospel in song, all for the glory of the Lord. And even the most talented young artist will have moments when they are not at their best. They may experience a bad night on stage. They may have experienced loss or sadness in their personal lives. They may be fighting battles on the inside that no one sees and that are none of anyone else’s business. It is at that very moment when they need to hear the most encouraging messages of love that we can give them. I’m asking you as a member of the Southern Gospel family to always take this advice into consideration when speaking to a young artist (and to our older artists as well), or when you choose to send them an email or a message on social media. Always ask: Is what I am sharing going to be encouraging to the artist? Will it lift them up? Is it loving and edifying to them as a member of the Body of Christ?
Choose to be an encourager. Choose to be a shining light in the darkness to our young artists. Let them know that they are loved, appreciated, supported, and prayed for. Join me in cheering them on as they receive the passed mic from today’s leaders and carry Southern Gospel forward, impacting and reaching future generations until the Lord returns, for His glory!
Related posts:
Passing the Mic | Southern Gospel Forward
GMR on The Road | The Whisnants Homecoming | March 6-8, 2026
Passing the Mic | Pass the Mic
Passing The Mic | February 2026
Passing the Mic | A Conversation with Jaylie Vanderslice
Passing The Mic | A Conversation with Ethan Whisnant
Passing The Mic | Casey Wolfe and The Next Generation of Southern Gospel
Passing The Mic | Cayden Howell