Worship Music & Hymns

Christian worship music spans 500 years of hymnody, gospel, contemporary praise, and everything in between. Whatever your style, there is a deep well of it.

Hymns are not just for old people

Many of the songs people now call "old hymns" were the contemporary worship of their era — Charles Wesley wrote what were, in the 1700s, considered radical and slightly scandalous new compositions. Watts, Newton, and the Wesleys built a catalog that is still being recovered today (see the Indelible Grace project for modern arrangements of forgotten hymns).

Contemporary worship

The modern worship-band format — five-piece band, electric guitars, big lighting — emerged in the 1990s and is now the default in most non-denominational and many mainline churches. Hillsong, Bethel, Elevation, Sovereign Grace, and the Gospel Coalition all have active publishing arms. Quality varies wildly; the best songs survive because congregations actually sing them, not because labels promote them.

Gospel and Black-church traditions

Gospel music is its own deep tradition with roots in spirituals, blues, and the Civil Rights movement. Mahalia Jackson, the Edwin Hawkins Singers, Kirk Franklin, and Tasha Cobbs Leonard are entry points if you have never spent time there. Many Black churches still have full choirs with weekly rehearsals — visit one and you will understand why this tradition shaped American music as much as it did.

Local worship events

Watch the events section for local worship nights, hymn sings, and gospel concerts — many are free and welcome non-members.