Carrie Underwood Surprises Her Church by Leading Worship

Published: September 12, 2025

By Michaela Gordoni

Carrie Underwood surprised Rolling Hills Community Church attendees in Franklin, Tennessee, last Sunday.

She spontaneously engaged the worship team in a cover of “Pour Your Spirit Out” by Thrive Worship, Relevant reported.

Thrive shared a clip of the moment on Instagram, saying, “POV: Carrie Underwood leading worship with a song that you wrote, Is this real life??”

“We are so thankful to see how God is using this song in His church,” Thrive said. “What an honor.”

“It was absolutely insane – the spirit in the room was palpable – what a powerful song!” one of the attendees said.

“It was incredible to be there and experience this – a bit of what Heaven’s choir will sound like here on earth,” another person commented.

Last year, Underwood led worship at the church with Jenn Johnson’s “Goodness of God.”

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A post shared by Thrive Worship (@thrive_worship)

It comes as second nature to the singer, who grew up singing in her Oklahoma church. She released a gospel album, My Savior, in 2021.

“These were just songs I grew up singing,” Underwood told NPR of the songs on the album. “…I can hear the congregation singing, and I can hear certain voices of people that I grew up with who would be behind my left shoulder or that one lady that always kind of slid around and scooped her notes all over the place, the people that would sing harmony.”

Some of the hymns on the album are “How Great Thou Art,” “Amazing Grace,” “Just As I Am,” “Because He Lives” and “Victory In Jesus.”

“When I made this album, I’m performing for an audience of one…The whole time I was in the studio, any time I get to sing these songs, I close my eyes and I’m the only person in the room. It’s my heart for God. And I love that,” she said.

“It is a different feeling,” she continued. “It’s happy and it’s deep. And I feel like I’m making my relationship better and deeper with God when I’m singing these songs.”

Underwood joined AMERICAN IDOL last season as the first contestant to ever judge. She won AMERICAN IDOL in 2005, and called her life a “Cinderella story.”

She’s back to judge next season, and her goal is to be “honest and constructive but still kind.”

“And I think that’s the whole point, ’cause people are coming in and, you know, it’s dreams. You’re a part of somebody’s story from that moment on,” she said ahead of the competition. “I think it’s important to be honest, but it’s also very important to be kind, so hopefully I can marry all of those together and be a good judge.”

Whether Underwood is leading a congregation in worship or guiding hopefuls on AMERICAN IDOL, she brings passion and kindness to everything she does.

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