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, 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.
Song milestones
Most weeks at number one
- 16 songs have spent fifteen weeks or longer at number one. These are:
| Number of weeks | Artist | Song | Year | Ref. |
| 95 | Lauren Daigle | "You Say" | 2018–20 | |
| 61 | Hillsong United | "Oceans " | 2013–14, 2015, 2016 | |
| 37 | Hillsong Worship | "What a Beautiful Name" | 2017–18 | |
| 26 | Carrie Underwood | "Something in the Water" | 2014–15 | |
| 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 | |
| 18 | Chris Tomlin | "Made to Worship" | 2006 | |
| 18 | Lauren Daigle | "Trust in You" | 2015 | |
| 18 | Cory Asbury | "Reckless Love" | 2018 | |
| 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 " | 2013 | |
| 15 | Hillary Scott & The Scott Family | "Thy Will" | 2016 |
Source:
Most total weeks on chart
- 32 songs have spent 52 weeks or longer on the charts. These are:
Number-one debuts
- 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 "
- 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"
Biggest jump to number one
- 33–1 – Lauren Daigle - "You Say"
- 21–1 – Hillsong UNITED - "Oceans "
- 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 climbs to number one
- 34th week – Jeremy Camp – "Let It Fade"
- 31st week – Skillet – "Feel Invincible"
- 30th week – Lauren Daigle – "Trust in You"
- 29th week – Zach Williams – "Old Church Choir"
- 25th week – Chris August – Starry Night, The Afters – Light Up The Sky, MercyMe – Beautiful, Building 429 – Where I Belong
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"
- 1–20 – Meghan Linsey - "Amazing Grace"
- 1–14 – Brooke Simpson - "Amazing Grace"
- 1–13 – Steven Curtis Chapman - "Christmas Time Again"
- 1–12 – Christian Cuevas - "To Worship You I Live "
Artist achievements
Most number-one singles
Source:Most cumulative weeks at number one
- 13 artists have spent thirty weeks or longer at number one. These are:
| Weeks at number one | Artist |
| 114 | Lauren Daigle |
| 88 | MercyMe |
| 78 | Casting Crowns |
| 61 | Hillsong United |
| 51 | Chris Tomlin |
| 46 | Matthew West |
| 37 | Hillsong Worship |
| 37 | Third Day |
| 35 | Jeremy Camp |
| 33 | Brandon Heath |
| 31 | tobyMac |
Most top ten hits
Source:Most charted hits
Artists who reached No. 1 in at least two decades
Album achievements
Most number-one singles from one album
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 based on 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,".
- Jordan Smith and Lauren Daigle are the only artists to replace themselves at No. 1. Smith's cover of "Hallelujah" dethroned his cover of "Great Is Thy Faithfulness" on December 19, 2015. Daigle's cover of "The Christmas Song" dethroned "You Say" on January 5, 2019.
- Reba McEntire is the oldest artist to top the chart. Her cover of "Back to God" topped the chart on February 18, 2017.
- Christian Cuevas is the youngest artist to top the chart. His cover of "To Worship You I Live " topped the chart on December 24, 2016.