Hot Christian Songs
Hot Christian Songs is a music chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States. It ranks the popularity of Christian songs using the same methodology developed for the [Billboard Hot 100|Billboard Hot 100], the magazine's flagship songs chart, by incorporating data from the sales of downloads, streaming data, and airplay across all monitored radio stations.
From its inception in June 2003 through November 2013, the Hot Christian Songs chart ranked the top songs only by overall audience impressions of songs played on contemporary Christian music radio stations. Beginning with the chart dated December 7, 2013, the chart follows the same methodology used for the Hot 100 to compile its rankings. The Christian Airplay chart was created in unison with the change to continue to monitor airplay of songs on Christian radio.
The current number-one song on the chart as of the issue dated January 10 is "Hard Fought Hallelujah" by Brandon Lake.
Song milestones
Most weeks at number one
- 22 songs have spent fifteen weeks or longer at number one. These are:
| Weeks | Artist | Song | Year | |
| 132 | Lauren Daigle | "You Say" | 2018–21 | |
| 61 | Hillsong United | "Oceans (Where Feet May Fail)" | 2013–16 | |
| 39 | Brandon Lake | "Hard Fought Hallelujah" | 2024–26 | |
| 37 | Hillsong Worship | "What a Beautiful Name" | 2017–18 | |
| 31 | Elevation Worship featuring Brandon Lake, Chris Brown and Chandler Moore. | "Praise" | 2024 | |
| 28 | Brandon Lake | "Gratitude" | 2023–24 | |
| 26 | Carrie Underwood | "Something in the Water" | 2014–15 | |
| 24 | Katy Nichole | "In Jesus Name (God of Possible)" | 2022 | |
| 23 | MercyMe | "Word of God Speak" | 2003 | |
| 19 | Needtobreathe | "Brother" | 2015 | |
| 19 | Casting Crowns | "East to West" | 2007 | |
| 19 | Brandon Heath | "Give Me Your Eyes" | 2008 | |
| 19 | Lauren Daigle | "Thank God I Do" | 2023 | |
| 18 | Chris Tomlin | "Made to Worship" | 2006 | |
| 18 | Lauren Daigle | "Trust in You" | 2015 | |
| 18 | Cory Asbury | "Reckless Love" | 2018 | |
| 18 | Forrest Frank | "Your Way's Better" | 2025 | |
| 17 | Matthew West | "Hello, My Name Is" | 2013 | |
| 15 | Jeremy Camp | "Take You Back" | 2005 | |
| 15 | Building 429 | "Where I Belong" | 2012 | |
| 15 | Chris Tomlin | "Whom Shall I Fear (God of Angel Armies)" | 2013 | |
| 15 | Hillary Scott & The Scott Family | "Thy Will" | 2016 | |
| 15 | - | - | - | - |
| 15 | - | - | - | - |
Source:
Number-one debuts
Eighteen songs have debuted at number one without having previously entered the chart. These are:- Matthew West – "More"
- Carrie Underwood – "Something in the Water"
- Meghan Linsey – "Amazing Grace"
- Jordan Smith – "Great Is Thy Faithfulness"
- Jordan Smith – "Hallelujah"
- Braiden Sunshine – "Amazing Grace"
- Jordan Smith – "Mary, Did You Know?"
- Sundance Head – "Me and Jesus"
- Christian Cuevas - "To Worship You I Live (Away)"
- Lecrae – "I'll Find You"
- NF – "Let You Down"
- Brooke Simpson – "Amazing Grace"
- Brooke Simpson – "O Holy Night"
- TobyMac – "I Just Need U."
- Kanye West – "Follow God"
- Kanye West – "Wash Us in the Blood"
- Kanye West – "Hurricane"
- DJ Khaled and Kanye West featuring Eminem – "Use This Gospel" remix
- Brandon Lake – "Hard Fought Hallelujah"
Biggest jump to number one
- 33–1 – Lauren Daigle - "You Say"
- 21–1 – Hillsong UNITED - "Oceans (Where Feet May Fail)"
- 17–1 – Reba McEntire & Lauren Daigle - "Back To God"
- 13–1 – Third Day - "Cry Out To Jesus"
- 12–1 – Steven Curtis Chapman - "Christmas Time Again"
- 12–1 – Big Daddy Weave - "Redeemed"
- 10–1 – Chris Tomlin - "Made To Worship"
- 10–1 – Josh Wilson - "Jesus Is Alive"
- 8–1 – Sundance Head - "Me And Jesus"
- 7–1 – Aaron Shust - "O Come, O Come Emmanuel"
Longest climb to number one
- 46th week – Elevation Worship featuring Brandon Lake – "Graves into Gardens"
- 45th week – Elevation Worship featuring Jonsal Barrientes – "Same God"
- 42nd week – Phil Wickham – "House of the Lord"
- 35th week – Maverick City Music featuring Joe L. Barnes and Naomi Raine – "Promises"
- 34th week – Jeremy Camp – "Let It Fade"
Biggest drop from number one
- 1–46 – Matthew West featuring Amy Grant - "Give This Christmas Away"
- 1–45 – Sundance Head - "Me And Jesus"
- 1–44 – Josh Wilson - "Jesus Is Alive"
- 1–37 – Braiden Sunshine - "Amazing Grace"
- 1–33 – MercyMe - "Joseph's Lullaby"
- 1–30 – Brooke Simpson - "O Holy Night"
- 1–24 – Anne Wilson - "My Jesus"
- 1–20 – Meghan Linsey - "Amazing Grace"
- 1–14 – Brooke Simpson - "Amazing Grace"
- 1–13 – Steven Curtis Chapman - "Christmas Time Again"
Artist achievements
Most number-one singles
Source:Most cumulative weeks at number one
- 15 artists have spent thirty weeks or longer at number one. These are:
| Weeks at number one | Artist | Ref |
| 173 | Lauren Daigle | |
| 110 | Brandon Lake | |
| 88 | MercyMe | |
| 78 | Casting Crowns | |
| 61 | Hillsong United | |
| 52 | Chris Tomlin | |
| 47 | Matthew West | |
| 37 | Hillsong Worship | |
| 37 | Third Day | |
| 36 | tobyMac | |
| 35 | Jeremy Camp | |
| 34 | Brandon Heath | |
| 33 | Elevation Worship | |
| 31 | Carrie Underwood | |
| 30 | Kanye West |
Most top ten hits
Source:Artists who reached No. 1 in at least two decades
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Other achievements
- The longest gap between No. 1 hits on Hot Christian Songs for an artist is 7 years, 10 months, 2 days by Building 429. Their single "Where I Belong" hit No. 1 on March 10, 2012, their first time on top since "Glory Defined" on May 8, 2004.
- MercyMe holds the record gap between first and most recent No. 1 on the Hot Christian Songs over the longest period of time: 14 years, 7 months, and 22 days. The first of twenty-three weeks at No. 1 for "Word of God Speak" by MercyMe was August 16, 2003. The last week at No. 1 for "I Can Only Imagine" was April 7, 2018, after it re-entered the charts to coincide with the release of the film of the same title.
- The record for the longest wait from an artist's Hot Christian Songs debut entry to its first No. 1 belongs to Skillet, with 10 years, 2 months, 10 days between the time they first cracked the Hot Christian Songs chart with "Rebirthing" and the first of one week at No. 1 with "Feel Invincible".
- Kanye West is the only artist to occupy the entire top 10 at once and he has done it twice.
- Reba McEntire is the oldest artist to top the chart. Her cover of "Back to God" topped the chart on February 18, 2017.
- Anne Wilson is the youngest artist to top the chart. Her song "My Jesus" topped the chart on August 14, 2021.
- Danny Gokey has the most entries on the chart without achieving a number one hit.
- Jordan Smith became the first male artist to replace himself at number one on the chart; Smith's cover of "Hallelujah" dethroned his cover of "Great Is Thy Faithfulness" on December 19, 2015. Carrie Underwood became the first female artist, when her John Legend collaboration of "Hallelujah" replaced her song "Favorite Time of Year" on December 26, 2021.