September 16, 2020

Pastor who won 'The Voice' says his ministry has grown: 'So much has changed'


 Since winning "The Voice" earlier this year, Todd Tilghman, a pastor from Mississippi, said his ministry reach has grown and it's "just insane."  


The lead pastor of Cornerstone Church in Meridian made his way to the top on season 18 under Team Blake (meaning he’s coached by country star Blake Shelton). While on the NBC show, the pastor performed the Christian classic “I Can only imagine” and “Long Way Home,” among others. 


In a new interview with Movieguide, Tilghman revealed that following his victory on the show, his travel schedule became nonstop, the size of his church viewership increased greatly and he changed the way he hosts his church services. 


“There are also a lot more new faces here and there,” he said in the interview. “What really happened with our churches is the online viewership just went through the roof, like, just insane.”


His church currently has both in-person services and online streaming.


Prior to “The Voice,” Tilghman had only known what it was like to sing in front of a crowd in the church. During the singing competition, COVID-19 restrictions forced him to perform digitally and remotely in his house. 


“It does teach you to connect with music on a level that’s not that sort of transcends the audience because you’re connecting on a different level,” he said. “I already sing by myself and just connect as much as possible because I’m singing to the Lord. So it helped when I’m trying to just connect with like a camera screen and no one.


“Ministry helps you learn how to do that. So I actually feel like even though I’m sort of like an old fart in the whole thing, I feel like it’s the right time for me. I had a whole lot of training.”