20 CeCe Winans Hymns And Traditional Songs Worth Knowing

With The Hymns released in June 2026, CeCe Winans returned to the traditional church repertoire she grew up singing in Detroit. Here are twenty hymns and traditional songs connected to her work and tradition.

#1. What a Friend We Have in Jesus

CeCe Winans, gospel music and worship — Image credit: thecomeupshow — CC BY-ND 2.0, via Openverse

The lead single from The Hymns, and one of the most widely known hymns in the English-language tradition.

#2. Great Is Thy Faithfulness

A hymn about consistency, which she has returned to repeatedly across her career.

#3. Blessed Assurance

A cornerstone of the Black church tradition she was raised in, and among the most sung hymns at funerals.

#4. Amazing Grace

The hymn most associated with gospel music generally, and the title of the Aretha Franklin album that set the sales benchmark her duo later matched.

#5. His Eye Is on the Sparrow

A hymn about being noticed in difficulty, long central to the Black gospel tradition.

#6. Precious Lord, Take My Hand

Written within the gospel tradition itself and one of its most enduring pieces.

#7. How Great Thou Art

A hymn that crosses denominations completely and appears in almost every tradition’s repertoire.

#8. It Is Well With My Soul

Written out of personal catastrophe, which is why it carries such weight at memorial services.

#9. The Old Rugged Cross

A standard of American hymnody that generations of congregations have sung without needing a hymnal.

#10. Just As I Am

A hymn built around acceptance without precondition, and one of the most used in church settings.

#11. Nothing But the Blood

Direct theological content packed into a memorable, simple melody.

#12. Leaning on the Everlasting Arms

A hymn about support in difficulty, with a melody accessible to any congregation.

#13. When the Roll Is Called Up Yonder

Traditional material with the kind of rhythmic drive that suits the gospel tradition particularly well.

#14. Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing

An older hymn that has been widely revived by contemporary worship artists.

#15. I Surrender All

A hymn of commitment that remains standard across a wide range of churches.

#16. Softly and Tenderly

Quiet material that rewards restraint rather than power, which suits her delivery particularly well.

#17. Pass Me Not, O Gentle Saviour

A hymn from the tradition she was raised in through the Church of God in Christ.

#18. Down at the Cross

Traditional repertoire that formed part of the musical vocabulary in the Winans household.

#19. Take My Hand, Precious Lord

Frequently sung at the most difficult occasions, and among the most requested in gospel settings.

#20. Silent Night

Christmas repertoire she performs on her holiday tour, which returns for the 2026 season with her sisters Angie and Debbie.

The bottom line: Hymns were the first music CeCe Winans encountered, in a Detroit household where both parents sang. Returning to them in 2026, four decades and 18 Grammys later, is less a departure than a homecoming.