Contemporary Christian music is a genre of modern popular music which is lyrically focused on matters concerned with the Christian faith. It formed as those affected by the 1960s Jesus movement revival began to express themselves in a more contemporary style of music than the hymns, Gospel and Southern gospel music that was prevalent in the church at the time. Today, the term is typically used to refer to pop, rock, or praise and worship styles.
Contemporary worship music (CWM), also known as praise and worship music, is a defined genre of Christian music used in contemporary worship. It has developed over the past 60 years and is stylistically similar to pop music. The songs are frequently referred to as "praise songs" or "worship songs" and are typically led by a "worship band" or "praise team", with either a guitarist or pianist leading. It has become a common genre of music sung in many churches, particularly in charismatic or non-denominational Protestant churches with some Roman Catholic congregations incorporating it into their mass as well.
Twila Paris is a contemporary Christian music singer, songwriter, author and pianist. Since 1980, Paris has released 22 albums, amassed 33 number one Christian Radio singles, and was named the Gospel Music Association Female Vocalist of the Year three years in a row. Many of her earlier songs such as "He Is Exalted", "We Will Glorify", "Lamb of God", and "We Bow Down", are found in church hymnals or otherwise sung in church settings. She was inducted into the Gospel Music Association Hall of Fame in May 2015.
Darrell Patton Evans is an American evangelical Christian musician and songwriter, known primarily for his contributions to contemporary Christian worship. Influenced by the music of Bruce Springsteen and U2, his style of music is noted for its extensive use of free form composition, with several of his songs having been written spontaneously during concerts and worship times. Besides his music writing, he is an accomplished guitar player and singer.
Shout to the Lord is the seventh recording project and fifth live Praise & Worship album by Hillsong Music. It was also the first of two albums released by Integrity Music under the Hosanna! Music label, and marked the beginning of a long relationship with Integrity Music that propelled Hillsong Music to the forefront of contemporary Praise & Worship Music in North America and around the world. The album reached No. 13 on the Billboard Top Contemporary Christian Albums Chart. Shout to the Lord was the first Hillsong Music album to officially feature Darlene Zschech as worship leader and the first album released by Integrity's Hosanna! Music to feature a female worship leader.
Hillsong Music is Christian music produced by Hillsong Church in Sydney, Australia as well as offshoot churches, Hillsong London and Hillsong Kiev. Hillsong albums are released and distributed by Hillsong Music. The main groups are Hillsong Worship, Hillsong United, Hillsong Young & Free, and Hillsong Kids.
Christopher Dwayne Tomlin is an American contemporary Christian music singer, songwriter, and worship leader from Grand Saline, Texas, United States who has sold over 7 million records. He is a member of Passion Conferences and is signed to EMI's sixstepsrecords. Some of his most well-known songs are "How Great Is Our God", "Our God", "Whom Shall I Fear " and his cover of "Good Good Father".
Planetshakers is the contemporary worship music band, a central part of Planetshakers Church in Melbourne, Australia.
Lanny Wolfe is an American Christian music songwriter, musician, music publisher, and music educator. He has written over seven hundred songs and fourteen musicals, and has recorded over seventy projects. He won two GMA Dove Awards in 1984, for Song of the Year and Songwriter of the Year, for his song, "More Than Wonderful," a song whose recording by Sandi Patti and Larnelle Harris earned them a Grammy Award. Wolfe has written over sixty Christmas songs included in eight Christmas musicals, including "Rejoice with Exceeding Great Joy," "No Room," "Cherish That Name," "Wise Men Still Seek Him," "For God So Loved the World," and "Seeking for Me." "Rejoice with Exceeding Great Joy" is used yearly in the candle lighting ceremony at Epcot in Orlando, Florida. Wolfe's song, "Greater Is He" was used as the official closing song of the Oral Roberts Telecast which aired on 120 stations weekly for six years. His song "For God So Loved the World" was selected to be recorded by the James Cleveland's Gospel Music Workshop of America in Houston, TX in 1982, where Wolfe directed the 1500-voice gospel choir. It was also included in the Gospel Music Workshop of America's 25th Anniversary CD project; and, for the 30th anniversary of the Gospel Music Workshop of America, was chosen as one of the top five songs that had been recorded out of 450 songs from the workshop's thirty-year run. He has also served as a member of the board of directors of the Gospel Music Association.
Brian Robert Doerksen is a Canadian Christian singer-songwriter and worship leader.
Matthew Guion Maher is a Canadian contemporary Christian music (CCM) artist, songwriter, and worship leader from Newfoundland, Canada, who lives in the United States. He has written and produced nine solo albums to date. Three of his albums have reached the Top 25 Christian Albums Billboard chart and four of his singles have reached the Top 25 Christian Songs chart. He is a practicing Catholic. Maher has been nominated for nine Grammy Awards in his career and was awarded the Songwriter of the Year for an artist, at the 2015 GMA Dove Awards.
Jon Bauer is a Canadian contemporary Christian music (CCM) artist, worship leader, and songwriter from St. Albert, Alberta, Canada. Bauer leads worship, speaks, and performs over 100 concerts around the world each year. Some of his most well-known songs are "Come and Save Us", "Chasing After Me", "Forevermore", "Awaken", "Giver of Grace", "Your Amazing Grace", "Life of Worship", and "Pray". While Jon is a full-time touring artist, he is also an Artist in Residence at his home church of St. Albert Alliance where he returns one weekend each month to lead worship.
Contemporary worship is a form of Christian worship that emerged within Western evangelical Protestantism in the 20th century. It was originally confined to the charismatic movement, but is now found in a wide range of churches, including many which do not subscribe to a charismatic theology. Contemporary worship uses contemporary worship music in an informal setting. Congregational singing typically comprises a greater proportion of the service than in conventional forms of worship. Where contemporary worship is practiced in churches with a liturgical tradition, elements of the liturgy are frequently kept to a minimum. The terms historic worship, traditional worship or liturgical worship are sometimes used to describe conventional worship forms and distinguish them from contemporary worship.
Bethel Music is an American music label and worship movement from Redding, California, originating out of Bethel Church where they started making music in 2001. Bethel Music has grown from being a local church music ministry to a global outreach made up of a collective of songwriters, artists and musicians. They focus on producing worship songs and albums that are largely written and recorded by members of their Artist Collective.
Let It Echo is a live album by Jesus Culture. Sparrow Records alongside Jesus Culture Music released the album on January 15, 2016.
Children of God is the sixth commercial studio album by Phil Wickham. Fair Trade Services released the album on April 22, 2016.
Gabriel Solomon Wilson is an American record producer, Christian musician, multi-instrumentalist. Over the course of his music career, Wilson has produced and written on many projects including John Mark McMillan's Mercury & Lightning and Lindy Conant & The Circuit Riders' Every Nation Wilson was a member of the Rock n Roll Worship Circus and he is currently with The Listening, while he has toured with The Violet Burning. He has released two solo studio albums, Lovely Is Death - EP in 2006 and The McGuire Side in 2012.
Right Here is a studio album from Charles Billingsley. StowTown Records released the album on March 4, 2016.
Glenn Previn Packiam, is a Malaysian-American Christian musician, guitarist, pianist, worship leader and pastor, who serves as an associate senior pastor at New Life Church and the lead pastor of New Life Downtown in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Packiam's music is a pop rock style of contemporary worship music. He has released three musical projects, Rumors and Revelations (2009), The Kingdom Comes (2011) and The Mystery of Faith (2013). He has also published 5 books: Discover the Mystery of Faith, Lucky: How the Kingdom comes to Unlikely People, Secondhand Jesus: Trading Rumors of God for a Firsthand Faith, Butterfly in Brazil: How Your Life Can Make a World of Difference, and Blessed Broken Given: How Your Story Becomes Sacred in the Hands of Jesus.
Brian Mark Johnson is an American contemporary worship musician and worship pastor. He is the president and co-founder of Bethel Music, as well as a member of its Artist Collective and is one-half of the husband-and-wife worship duo, Brian & Jenn Johnson. He is also a senior worship pastor at Bethel Church in Redding, California, and a Senior Overseer of WorshipU, an online school of worship under Bethel Music which he co-founded with Jenn Johnson.
