Top 10 Christian Worship Songs of the Last Decade

Cory Asbury's Reckless Love generated both massive adoption and genuine theological controversy, with its characterization of God's love as "reckless" sparking debates in pulpits and on theology blogs about divine impassibility and the nature of divine pursuit. The controversy only amplified its reach: the song topped the Billboard Hot Christian Songs chart, won multiple Dove Awards, and became one of the most recognizable worship songs of its generation. Its imagery of the shepherd leaving ninety-nine sheep to pursue one lost one gave congregations a visceral, emotionally engaging picture of seeking grace. Whether or not the theological objections are valid, few songs have generated as much genuine reflection on the nature of divine love.

Ben Fielding and Brooke Ligertwood wrote What a Beautiful Name as a theologically dense, narratively structured meditation on the person and work of Jesus Christ that swept the Christian music world from its first release. The song won the Dove Award for Song of the Year for two consecutive years (2017 and 2018), an unprecedented achievement, and has been ranked at the top of CCLI's most-used worship songs list multiple times. Its bridge — "You have no rival, you have no equal" — became one of the most sung declarations in contemporary worship. It stands as Hillsong Worship's crowning compositional achievement of the decade.

Ed Cash and Brian Johnson co-wrote Goodness of God as a testimony-driven declaration of lifelong faithfulness that immediately struck a deep chord with worship leaders and congregations. CeCe Winans' Grammy-winning recording and the original Bethel Music version both became widely used, demonstrating the song's ability to transcend stylistic genres. Its structure — moving from personal testimony to corporate declaration — made it equally effective in intimate acoustic settings and full production worship environments. CCLI data consistently places it among the most-used songs in English-speaking churches worldwide.

Brandon Lake co-wrote Graves into Gardens with Chris Brown, Steven Furtick, and Tiffany Hammer as a resurrection-anchored declaration of hope that arrived at the precise moment when COVID-19 made declarations of hope feel both urgent and difficult. The song's dramatic build — from quiet intimacy to full-throated declaration — made it ideally suited for both the restricted gatherings of the pandemic era and the exuberant return to in-person worship that followed. It topped multiple Christian chart positions and received extensive radio play throughout 2020 and 2021. The phrase "only You can turn graves into gardens" became a widespread social media expression of faith during the pandemic.

Do It Again became an anthem for believers in prolonged seasons of waiting, its repeated declaration "I'll praise You in this storm" functioning as a congregational expression of faith that refuses to quit. Steven Furtick and Chris Brown wrote it as a response to the Israelites' experience of divine deliverance at the Red Sea, and its structure of rehearsing past faithfulness as the basis for present trust has made it one of the most pastorally useful worship songs of the decade. The live recording captured an atmosphere of genuine corporate faith that studio recordings rarely achieve. It has been covered by dozens of artists and adopted across denominational lines.

Pat Barrett's Build My Life became a staple of acoustic worship sets almost immediately after Housefires released it, its declaration of worthy lordship married to a melodic simplicity that made it learnable in a single listen. The CCLI data has consistently placed it among the top 25 most-used worship songs globally, reflecting its remarkable cross-denominational adoption across churches that rarely share song lists. Pat Barrett's subsequent solo career built substantially on the credibility this song established. Its bridge — "I will build my life upon Your love, it is a firm foundation" — is among the most widely sung declarations in current evangelical worship.

Chandler Moore, Naomi Raine, and Steven Furtick co-wrote Jireh as a declaration that God's provision is sufficient apart from any external circumstances — a message that resonated with extraordinary power during the post-pandemic season of economic uncertainty and spiritual rebuilding. The song's ten-minute live recording became one of the most streamed worship tracks of 2021, and its declaration "I am enough because You say I am" spoke to a generation whose sense of adequacy had been battered by two years of collective crisis. Its Maverick City-Elevation Worship collaboration format demonstrated that the two biggest names in contemporary worship could produce something greater than either could alone.

The Blessing, drawn from the ancient Aaronic benediction in Numbers 6, became the most watched single worship video of the early pandemic period after a version featuring Elevation Worship and the choir of over a hundred masked singers went globally viral. Its structure as a literal priestly blessing spoken over the listener — "May His favor be upon you and a thousand generations" — created an unusually intimate, personal quality for a large-scale worship song. Multiple nations recorded their own versions, and a global compilation featuring artists from dozens of countries became a viral testimony to the universality of the blessing. No worship video in history was shared as widely in its first month.

Another in the Fire is Hillsong UNITED's most mature theological statement of the decade, drawing on the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to articulate a doctrine of divine accompaniment in suffering rather than divine deliverance from it. Joel Houston and Chris Davenport wrote it as an honest acknowledgment that faith does not guarantee exemption from the furnace, but it does promise a fourth figure walking alongside in the flames. Its emotional honesty and theological nuance set it apart from more triumphalist contemporary worship, and it has been widely used in services addressing grief, loss, and chronic illness. Critics within CCM have cited it as one of the finest worship songs of the decade.

Cory Asbury's Reckless Love generated both massive adoption and genuine theological controversy, with its characterization of God's love as "reckless" sparking debates in pulpits and on theology blogs about divine impassibility and the nature of divine pursuit. The controversy only amplified its reach: the song topped the Billboard Hot Christian Songs chart, won multiple Dove Awards, and became one of the most recognizable worship songs of its generation. Its imagery of the shepherd leaving ninety-nine sheep to pursue one lost one gave congregations a visceral, emotionally engaging picture of seeking grace. Whether or not the theological objections are valid, few songs have generated as much genuine reflection on the nature of divine love.

Ben Fielding and Brooke Ligertwood wrote What a Beautiful Name as a theologically dense, narratively structured meditation on the person and work of Jesus Christ that swept the Christian music world from its first release. The song won the Dove Award for Song of the Year for two consecutive years (2017 and 2018), an unprecedented achievement, and has been ranked at the top of CCLI's most-used worship songs list multiple times. Its bridge — "You have no rival, you have no equal" — became one of the most sung declarations in contemporary worship. It stands as Hillsong Worship's crowning compositional achievement of the decade.

Ed Cash and Brian Johnson co-wrote Goodness of God as a testimony-driven declaration of lifelong faithfulness that immediately struck a deep chord with worship leaders and congregations. CeCe Winans' Grammy-winning recording and the original Bethel Music version both became widely used, demonstrating the song's ability to transcend stylistic genres. Its structure — moving from personal testimony to corporate declaration — made it equally effective in intimate acoustic settings and full production worship environments. CCLI data consistently places it among the most-used songs in English-speaking churches worldwide.

Brandon Lake co-wrote Graves into Gardens with Chris Brown, Steven Furtick, and Tiffany Hammer as a resurrection-anchored declaration of hope that arrived at the precise moment when COVID-19 made declarations of hope feel both urgent and difficult. The song's dramatic build — from quiet intimacy to full-throated declaration — made it ideally suited for both the restricted gatherings of the pandemic era and the exuberant return to in-person worship that followed. It topped multiple Christian chart positions and received extensive radio play throughout 2020 and 2021. The phrase "only You can turn graves into gardens" became a widespread social media expression of faith during the pandemic.

Do It Again became an anthem for believers in prolonged seasons of waiting, its repeated declaration "I'll praise You in this storm" functioning as a congregational expression of faith that refuses to quit. Steven Furtick and Chris Brown wrote it as a response to the Israelites' experience of divine deliverance at the Red Sea, and its structure of rehearsing past faithfulness as the basis for present trust has made it one of the most pastorally useful worship songs of the decade. The live recording captured an atmosphere of genuine corporate faith that studio recordings rarely achieve. It has been covered by dozens of artists and adopted across denominational lines.

Pat Barrett's Build My Life became a staple of acoustic worship sets almost immediately after Housefires released it, its declaration of worthy lordship married to a melodic simplicity that made it learnable in a single listen. The CCLI data has consistently placed it among the top 25 most-used worship songs globally, reflecting its remarkable cross-denominational adoption across churches that rarely share song lists. Pat Barrett's subsequent solo career built substantially on the credibility this song established. Its bridge — "I will build my life upon Your love, it is a firm foundation" — is among the most widely sung declarations in current evangelical worship.

Chandler Moore, Naomi Raine, and Steven Furtick co-wrote Jireh as a declaration that God's provision is sufficient apart from any external circumstances — a message that resonated with extraordinary power during the post-pandemic season of economic uncertainty and spiritual rebuilding. The song's ten-minute live recording became one of the most streamed worship tracks of 2021, and its declaration "I am enough because You say I am" spoke to a generation whose sense of adequacy had been battered by two years of collective crisis. Its Maverick City-Elevation Worship collaboration format demonstrated that the two biggest names in contemporary worship could produce something greater than either could alone.

The Blessing, drawn from the ancient Aaronic benediction in Numbers 6, became the most watched single worship video of the early pandemic period after a version featuring Elevation Worship and the choir of over a hundred masked singers went globally viral. Its structure as a literal priestly blessing spoken over the listener — "May His favor be upon you and a thousand generations" — created an unusually intimate, personal quality for a large-scale worship song. Multiple nations recorded their own versions, and a global compilation featuring artists from dozens of countries became a viral testimony to the universality of the blessing. No worship video in history was shared as widely in its first month.

Another in the Fire is Hillsong UNITED's most mature theological statement of the decade, drawing on the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to articulate a doctrine of divine accompaniment in suffering rather than divine deliverance from it. Joel Houston and Chris Davenport wrote it as an honest acknowledgment that faith does not guarantee exemption from the furnace, but it does promise a fourth figure walking alongside in the flames. Its emotional honesty and theological nuance set it apart from more triumphalist contemporary worship, and it has been widely used in services addressing grief, loss, and chronic illness. Critics within CCM have cited it as one of the finest worship songs of the decade.