Worship Leader Kristian Stanfill Opens Up about Sobriety and Redemption
More than two years after going public with his sobriety journey, worship leader Kristian Stanfill has a message for those still struggling: Life is so much better without alcohol. The singer/songwriter is well-known within the music industry as a key member of Passion Music and a familiar face at Passion Conferences, the annual gathering of young people led by Louie Giglio. Passion Music recently released its latest live album, Call on Heaven (Come Lord Jesus).
But in November 2022, Stanfill stepped out of the comfortable rhythm of music ministry and shared his personal battle with alcohol addiction, revealing he had been sober for two years and was speaking out in hopes of helping others struggling in silence.
"After a couple years of being in the recovery world and the sobriety conversation, I started realizing, man, there's so many people who feel alone," Stanfill told Crosswalk Headlines.
"They feel so isolated, and they think … [that] no one in the church is talking about this openly. And I would sit across from other guys, and we would talk about sobriety, and all these other guys would say, 'Man, me, too.'"
Far too long -- he said -- the issue has been pushed into the shadows within the church.
"And I was looking around the landscape, going, 'Man, everything looks so slick. Everything looks so put together and shined up.' And if I could help bring some humanity to what it looks like to follow Jesus, then I wanted to do that."
Stanfill wanted to give a face to a person "battling with sin," he said. Perfection is not possible, he said, but redemption is found in Christ.
"He takes a heart that's willing to submit in obedience, and He says, 'I can work with that. I can redeem that. I can work on that.' I just thought it was important to talk about it -- just to help other people maybe come into the light, find freedom and joy."
He cited Jesus' words in John 10:10: "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full."
"[Satan] wants to distract us and detract us from our ultimate purpose, which is to live for God's glory," he said.
Sobriety, he said, takes community.
"You can't do it alone," he said. "You've gotta have people. …One of the largest mistakes that I made was just isolating."
For Stanfill, drinking in moderation is not possible.
"Whatever that moderation switch that people have, God didn't give me one of those," he said. "I go hard on everything that I love. …It was a full stop for me."
That full stop -- his decision to walk away from alcohol entirely -- has reshaped how he views drinking and its role in culture. When asked what advice he'd offer the young adults who attend Passion conferences, Stanfill didn't hesitate: Don't drink.
"This might sound kind of judgy, and I don't want it to sound judgy, but I just would say, 'Why? Why do you want to drink?' All I know [about] drinking is that it takes -- it doesn't give, it doesn't give anything. And actually, it's terrible for you. I just turned 42, so I'm getting a little bit older, and I care about what I put in my body. …But when I look at just the biology of it, I'm like, 'Heck, I don't want to put that in my body.'"
Sometimes, Stanfill said, individuals drink alcohol to numb personal pain.
"I was running from something. There was some pain deep in here that I wasn't facing," he said of his own addiction. "So I would ask: Is there something in your life that you need to face, you need to dig up and bring into the light? You probably should do that with the help of somebody else."
Though Stanfill has friends who drink in moderation, his advice to those who ask is clear: Don't start.
"I don't know why you would," he said. "Life is just so good without it."
Photo Credit: ©Passion Music
Michael Foust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His stories have appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, The Christian Post, the Leaf-Chronicle, the Toronto Star and the Knoxville News-Sentinel.
Listen to Michael's Podcast! He is the host of Crosswalk Talk, a podcast where he talks with Christian movie stars, musicians, directors, and more. Hear how famous Christian figures keep their faith a priority in Hollywood and discover the best Christian movies, books, television, and other entertainment. You can find Crosswalk Talk on LifeAudio.com, or subscribe on Apple or Spotify so you never miss an interview that will be sure to encourage your faith.
Originally published May 06, 2025.
