Contemporary Christian Music
Also known as CCM
CCM is best understood as a broad modern Christian-pop category rather than a fixed sound. Its history runs from Jesus Movement beginnings into a sizable industry built around radio, retail, and worship culture, with crossover artists helping define its public face.
Origins and context
The genre took shape in the United States during the Jesus Movement and the broader evangelical market for contemporary popular music with explicitly Christian lyrics.
The sound
Characteristics
- Pop arrangement
- Rock instrumentation
- Worship-oriented vocals
- Keyboard/synth textures
- Electric guitar
- Acoustic guitar
- Drums
History
CCM grew out of the late-1960s and early-1970s Jesus Movement, when artists pushed Christian expression into the language of current popular music rather than older hymn or gospel forms. Larry Norman is often named among the early figures associated with that shift, and later writers and labels helped turn the idea into a recognizable industry category. By the 1980s and especially the 1990s, artists such as Amy Grant and Michael W. Smith helped CCM reach wider audiences, including crossover attention beyond Christian retail and radio.
Notable artists
- AGAmy Grant
- MWMichael W. Smith
- SCSteven Curtis Chapman
- MMercyMe
- CCCasting Crowns
Essential listening
- 1
- 2
- 3
Explore connected genres
Sources and further reading
- Contemporary Christian Music
- Amy Grant artist page
- Michael W. Smith about page
- Spotify
MercyMe’s Spotify artist page identifies the group with Christian music and notes the landmark status of 'I Can Only Imagine' in Christian music history.
- MercyMe artist page