Louisiana-based John Finch is a small-town artist, songwriter, and worship leader with a big heart for worship. John’s relationship with music began at an early age. He began playing piano at age seven, leading others in song in a junior high church choir. Since then, he has led worship for large audiences around the world. John currently lives in Covington, LA with Molly, his wife of two years.
John has interests outside music. He enjoys cooking all kinds of food in the kitchen with Molly. And, after one of his shows, he enjoys experiencing food, coffee, and culture throughout all his travels. Connecting with friends and family also means a lot to him. I connected with John to talk about his coming to Christ, his musical inspiration, and his new EP, Let Faith Arise.
Tell us your testimony. How did you first know Jesus was real?
I was born and raised Catholic and grew up in a strong, faith-filled family. Sometimes the love of Jesus isn't always a tangible experience, but I always felt His love through my family and my parents telling me about Jesus and what He did for me. I took on my faith as my own early on and I discovered that I connected to God the most through music.
What led to your calling to write Christian music?
I’ve always been a big fan of Christian radio. I remember as a kid always listening to LifeSongs Radio 89.1 FM (that’s a shoutout) in the car—that was my first experience with Christian music. I loved that we could sing about Jesus. It was such a positive and uplifting time with family. I used to love calling in to request songs.
As a teenager, I had the chance to attend some major youth conferences. I always thought the worship leaders were so cool. But more than that, I loved to worship—even if I didn't know at the time what that meant to me. I knew I could feel God's presence and I wanted to stay there. I felt God stir in my heart and move me to spend more time in worship, write down my prayers, be in a relationship with Him, and speak to Him in song lyrics. And that was only the beginning.
What’s one of the biggest lessons Christ has taught you in your life?
In every moment of every day, I need Him. I've seen with my own eyes that we live in a world that depends on everything but Jesus. When He should be the one we go to first, He's often the one we go to last. If I've learned anything in my life, I know that I can't do life without my God and His guiding presence leading the way.
Talk about your new EP, Let Faith Arise. Tell us the theme and inspiration behind it.
My latest project, Let Faith Arise, was written over the last few years when we've seen so much of the world change. I wanted these songs to be a reminder of the faithfulness of God even amid worry and chaos. No matter what we face, we can always declare victory in Jesus with confidence, knowing that He’s always fighting for us. That's when our faith begins to rise. Do we claim victory, or do we claim defeat? We can look at the story of King David and his courageous faith. He didn't wait until he defeated the giant to trust God, rather he trusted God through the battle. No matter what’s standing before us, we must always remain faithful in the fight and declare victory in Jesus.
What’s next?
I feel like this is the beginning of a new season as I continue to write music, tour, and work on new projects. It's exciting, and I'm eager to dedicate more time to discovering what the Lord is doing in my work.
How can we be praying for you?
Please pray for my ministry and that everything I do be done for the glory of God.
Paul Phillips is a Canadian journalist with 20 years of experience writing and editing digital and print content. He specializes in health, fitness, nutrition, and travel. He loves music, Marvel movies, and, of course, living for Jesus.
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