Beginnings (1950s–1960s) The growing popularity of
rock and roll music in the 1950s was initially dismissed by the church because it was believed to encourage sinfulness. Yet as evangelical churches adapted to appeal to more people, the musical styles used in worship changed as well by adopting the sounds of this popular style. The genre became known as contemporary Christian music as a result of the
Jesus movement revival in the latter 1960s and early 1970s, and was originally called
Jesus music. "About that time, many young people from the sixties' counterculture professed to believe in Jesus. Convinced of the "bareness" of a lifestyle based on drugs, free sex and "radical politics", some of the Jesus '
hippies' became known as 'Jesus people'". It was during the 1970s Jesus movement that Christian music started to become an industry within itself. "Jesus music" started by playing instruments and singing songs about love and peace, which then translated into love of God. Paul Wohlegemuth, who wrote the book
Rethinking Church Music, said "[the] 1970s will see a marked acceptance of rock-influenced music in all levels of church music. The rock style will become more familiar to all people, its rhythmic excesses will become refined, and its earlier secular associations will be less remembered." Evangelical artists made significant contributions to CCM in the 1960s, developing various Christian
music styles, from
Christian rock to
Christian hip-hop, continuing on to
Christian punk and
Christian metal. Those involved were affected by the late 1960s to early 1970s
Jesus movement, whose adherents colloquially called themselves "Jesus Freaks", as an evangelical Christian response to the
counterculture movements such as
hippies and
flower children who were finding widespread traction. The
Calvary Chapel was one such response, which launched
Maranatha Music in 1971. They soon began to express themselves in alternative styles of
popular music and worship music. The
Dove Awards, an annual ceremony which rewards Christian music, was created in
Memphis, Tennessee in October 1969 by the Gospel Music Association. There was some internal critique of CCM at its advent.
Larry Norman is often remembered as the "father of Christian rock", because of his early contributions (before the Jesus movement) to the developing new genre that mixed rock rhythms with the Christian messages. Though his style was not initially well received by some in the Christian community of the time, he continued throughout his career to create controversial hard-rock songs such as "Why Should the Devil Have All the Good Music?" and
Mylon – We Believe by
Mylon LeFevre, released by Cotillion, which was LeFevre's attempt at blending
gospel music with
southern rock. Unlike traditional or southern gospel music, this new Jesus music was birthed out of
rock and
folk music. Pioneers of this movement also included
Andraé Crouch and the Disciples,
the Imperials,
Michael Omartian,
2nd Chapter of Acts,
Phil Keaggy,
Love Song,
Barry McGuire,
Evie,
Paul Clark,
Randy Matthews,
Randy Stonehill and
Keith Green among others. The small Jesus music culture had expanded into a multimillion-dollar
industry by the 1980s. A number of CCM artists such as
Benny Hester,
Amy Grant,
DC Talk,
Michael W. Smith,
Stryper, and
Jars of Clay found
crossover success with
Top 40 mainstream radio play.
Popularity (1970s–1990s) The genre emerged and became prevalent in the 1970s and 1980s. Beginning in July 1978,
CCM Magazine began covering "contemporary Christian music" artists and a wide range of spiritual themes until it launched online publications in 2009. Themes and messages include praise and worship, faith, encouragement, and prayer. Songs also focus on themes of devotion, inspiration, redemption, reconciliation, and renewal. The songs of
Hillsong Music, founded in 1991 by
Hillsong Church, in
Sydney,
Australia, have been translated into various languages and have had an influence considerable in evangelical churches worldwide. In
Christian hip-hop,
TobyMac, Todd Collins, and Joey Elwood founded the first specialized label
Gotee Records in 1994. The founding of the label
Reach Records in 2004 by
Lecrae and Ben Washer also had a significant impact in the development of Christian hip-hop. Contemporary Christian musicians and listeners have sought to extend their music into settings where religious music traditionally might not be heard. For instance,
MercyMe's song "
I Can Only Imagine" was a crossover success in 1999 despite having a clear Christian message. In 2018,
Lauren Daigle's '
You Say' was a similar hit. According to a 2009 study published by Faith Communities Today, 64% of churches that adopted contemporary Christian music in the past five years saw an increase in service attendance of 2% or more.
Modernity Contemporary Christian music has influences from folk, gospel, pop and rock music. Charismatic churches have had a large influence on contemporary Christian music and are one of the largest producers of CCM. Contemporary Christian music has also expanded into multiple
subgenres.
Contemporary worship music is also incorporated in modern CCM.
Contemporary worship is both recorded and performed during
church services. In the 2000s, contemporary worship music with a distinctly
theological focus has emerged, primarily in the
Baptist,
Reformed and more traditional non-denominational branches of Protestant Christianity. Artists include well-known groups such as
Shane & Shane and modern hymn-writers,
Keith & Kristyn Getty as well as others like
Sovereign Grace Music, Matt Boswell and
Aaron Keyes. The format is gaining traction in a number of churches and other areas in culture as well as being heard in CCM collections and musical
algorithms on several Internet streaming services. According to a 2023 study by Worship Leader Research, of the top 25 most popular song licenses used by churches between 2010 and 2020, nearly 100% came from three
megachurch music groups;
Hillsong Worship (
Hillsong Church),
Bethel Music (
Bethel Church), and
Elevation Worship (
Elevation Church). == Controversy ==