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.[1] The
Christian Airplay chart was created in unison with the change to continue to monitor airplay of songs on Christian radio.
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" (October 28, 2006) and the first of one week at No. 1 with "Feel Invincible" (January 7, 2017).
Kanye West is the only artist to occupy the entire top 10 at once and he has done it twice.[111][112]
Reba McEntire (age 60 years) is the oldest artist to top the chart. Her cover of "
Back to God" topped the chart on February 18, 2017.
Anne Wilson (age 19 years) 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 (21).[113]
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.[114]
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.[1] The
Christian Airplay chart was created in unison with the change to continue to monitor airplay of songs on Christian radio.
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" (October 28, 2006) and the first of one week at No. 1 with "Feel Invincible" (January 7, 2017).
Kanye West is the only artist to occupy the entire top 10 at once and he has done it twice.[111][112]
Reba McEntire (age 60 years) is the oldest artist to top the chart. Her cover of "
Back to God" topped the chart on February 18, 2017.
Anne Wilson (age 19 years) 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 (21).[113]
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.[114]