{"id":10564,"date":"2013-10-09T22:27:42","date_gmt":"2013-10-10T05:27:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sharefaithblog.wpengine.com\/?p=10564"},"modified":"2017-10-11T15:23:04","modified_gmt":"2017-10-11T22:23:04","slug":"top-10-prolific-christian-worship-songwriters-decade","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sharefaith.com\/blog\/2013\/10\/top-10-prolific-christian-worship-songwriters-decade\/","title":{"rendered":"Top 10 Prolific Christian Worship Songwriters of the Past Decade"},"content":{"rendered":"

Switch on your radio anywhere in the country, do a little dial-spinning, and you\u2019ll soon find a Christian station. Listen for a few minutes, and you\u2019ll probably hear a song by a songwriter on this list.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The church today has no shortage of talented musicians, songwriters, and worship leaders. Thanks to technology and mass marketing, Christian songs have vast audiences and instant reception by worship leaders and worshippers alike. Over the past decade, here are ten of the the most prolific Christian songwriters whose talents and ministry have given the church a rich collection of worship songs.
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  1. \n

    Chris Tomlin.<\/strong> Perhaps no songwriter of the past decade has penned so many songs and produced such a vast discography as Chris Tomlin. Thousands of churches today enjoy Tomlin\u2019s worship songs such as \u201cIndescribable,\u201d \u201cHoly is the Lord,\u201d \u201cHow Great Is Our God,\u201d \u201cMade to Worship,\u201d \u201cHow Can I Keep from Singing,\u201d \u201cJesus Messiah,\u201d \u201cOur God,\u201d and dozens of others. Tomlin\u2019s songs are the kind that we often catch ourselves humming or singing aloud in the car. His God-focused lyrics and the intensity of his worship passion are what has earned him recognition. For decades to come, we\u2019ll probably still be singing his songs.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  2. \n

    Keith and Kristin Getty and Stuart Townend.<\/strong> While most lyricists are composing worship songs, Keith and his wife, Kristyn Getty along with worship leader Stuart Townend write songs of a slightly different variety. Called \u201cmodern hymns,\u201d the songs that the Gettys compose have a Celtic touch and a congregational appeal in their melodies. In a recent interview with Sharefaith, Keith Getty explained, \u201cThere\u2019s no scientific term for what\u2019s an actual \u2018hymn\u2019 and what\u2019s a \u2018song.\u2019 But when people listen to it, they will refer to a song and say \u2018that song is more hymnlike,\u2019 or \u2018that one is more worship song like.\u2019 I think for us, we\u2019ve ended up being called hymn writers because we script our priorities. We tend towards singing and writing our songs that are about teaching and learning our faith. The songs are all about the context of rich, passionate, relevant worship (we hope). Secondly, we try to write melodies that are a traditional form that every generation can recognize and sing along with.\u201d In collaboration with Stuart Townend, the Getty duo has penned \u201cIn Christ Alone,\u201d \u201cThe Power of the Cross,\u201d \u201cBehold the Lamb,\u201d and \u201cHear the Call of the Kingdom,\u201d among dozens of others.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  3. \n

    Jennie Lee Riddle.<\/strong> Jennie Lee Riddle\u2019s name is not as familiar as Kari Jobe or Philips, Craig & Dean, but the songs she has written, like \u201cRevelation Song,\u201d are familiar to congregations around the world. Her songs consistently top the CCLI lists, and \u201cRevelation Song\u201d was No. 1 on the Christian charts of Billboard for seventeen weeks. Among her other songs are \u201cOne True God,\u201d \u201cDwelling Place,\u201d \u201cIt Is Finished,\u201d and \u201cHope of the Broken World.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  4. \n

    Darlene Zschech.<\/strong> The Australian songwriter Darlene Joy Zschech began her musical career by composing advertising songs for companies like McDonald\u2019s and Coca Cola. She was the worship leader of the well-known Hillsong Church for more than ten years, and still travels and ministers with Hillsong on their tours and conferences. Today, Zschech is a worship leader, pastor, and activist. Her legacy of songwriting includes many of the songs known to churches \u2014 \u201cGod Is Here,\u201d \u201cShout to the Lord,\u201d \u201cHis Glory Appears,\u201d \u201cOne Thing,\u201d and \u201cYou Took the Nails.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  5. \n

    Matt Redman.<\/strong> This Sunday morning, in hundreds of congregations around the country, people will lift their hands and worship, \u201cMy soul will sing Your praise unending, 10,000 years and then forever more.\u201d This triumphant declaration of worship is one of many Redman songs that have helped Christians focus upon the Lord. The U.K. songwriter has partnered with Louie Giglio\u2019s church planting effort in Atlanta (Passion City Church), and is now ministering with a new church plant in Brighton, England. Some of Redman\u2019s most well known songs are \u201cHeart of Worship,\u201d \u201cYou Never Let Go,\u201d \u201cBetter Is One Day,\u201d \u201cBlessed Be Your Name,\u201d and \u201cOur God.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  6. \n

    Michael W. Smith.<\/strong> Smith, one of the pioneers in the contemporary Christian music field, has been recognized with both secular and Christian music awards. Since 1983, Michael W. Smith has released twenty albums with dozens of songs. Smith is more than a decorated musician. He is also an avid supporter of charities like Compassion International, a sponsor of Christian films, and has even served as lead pastor. He is known for his writing and singing songs such as \u201cA New Hallelujah,\u201d \u201cHealing Rain\/Let It Rain,\u201d \u201cGrace,\u201d and \u201cThe River Is Rising.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  7. \n

    Jeremy Camp.<\/strong> Jeremy Camp\u2019s life and career have been marked by trial. He lost his first wife to cancer just months after the couple\u2019s honeymoon. Through his journey of faith and by fire, God led Jeremy to write some of the most heartfelt and best-loved songs of the modern church. In \u201cI Still Believe,\u201d the song penned after his wife\u2019s passing, Jeremy wrote, \u201cI still believe in Your faithfulness…in Your truth…in Your Holy Word. Even when I don\u2019t see, I still believe.\u201d Camp\u2019s songs are founded upon a life of experience and heartfelt adoration. From choruses like \u201cThere Will Be a Day,\u201d to anthems such as \u201cSpeaking Louder Than Before,\u201d his songs pulsate with mission, drip with mercy, and point to a glorious God.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  8. \n

    Joel Houston.<\/strong> Along with the Hillsong United team based in Sydney, Australia, Joel Houston has produced dozens of powerful worship songs. Joel has held many roles in church ministry \u2014 guitarist, pastor, worship leader, vocalist, drummer, creative director, and church planter. However, one of his most enduring roles in the church is his songwriting. Songs like \u201cEveryday,\u201d \u201cFor This cause,\u201d and \u201cFrom the Inside Out\u201d are powerful tributes of praise to God. Houston\u2019s songs have been translated into more than 30 languages, recorded in many albums, and sung by thousands of churches across the world.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  9. \n

    Amy Grant.<\/strong> Of the many Christian songwriters and musicians of the past decades, few are more groundbreaking than Amy Grant. Grant. Often titled the \u201cQueen of Christian Pop,\u201d she charted a course in her music and performances that brought her before a mainstream audience. Thought most of her pioneering work was done in the decade of the 1980s with songs such as \u201cEl Shaddai\u201d and \u201cAngels,\u201d her influence carries on in the present decade. Her most recent album is \u201cHow Mercy Looks from Here.\u201d The album is both a testament to Grant\u2019s late mother, and a personal testimony based on Amy Grant\u2019s own years of triumph, trial, growth, and gain.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  10. \n

    Nicole C. Mullen<\/strong>. Many Christians are familiar with the words of \u201cRedeemer\u201d \u2014 a song which echoes the declaration of Job in the Old Testament. Millions of times \u2014 across radio waves, within church auditoriums, and on YouTube the words are sounded out in Mullen’s song\u2014 \u201c I know my redeemer lives!\u201d God has used Mullen and her courageous life of faith to write many other songs and produce other recordings such as \u201cConvinced,\u201d \u201cElohim,\u201d and \u201cI Wish.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

     <\/p>\n

    Christians the world over can thank God for the gifts he has given us in the form of these songwriters. Most of us can point to a specific time in our lives where God used the words to a song to break our hearts with humility, lift our souls in thanksgiving, or simply gaze in wonder at his majesty. May God continue to bless his church with songwriters who are sold out for him and filled up with his grace.<\/p>\n

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    \"danielpic-1\"<\/p>\n

    Daniel Threlfall<\/a> has been writing church ministry articles for more ten years. With his background and training (M.A., M.Div.), Daniel is passionate about inspiring pastors and volunteers in their service to the King. Daniel is devoted to his family, nerdy about SEO, and drinks his coffee with no cream and no sugar. You can learn more about Daniel at his blog <\/a>and twitter<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

    \n

     <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Switch on your radio anywhere in the country, do a little dial-spinning, and you\u2019ll soon find a Christian station. Listen for a few minutes, and you\u2019ll probably hear a song by a songwriter on this list.   The church today has no shortage of talented musicians, songwriters, and worship leaders. 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