My mind is full of church music at the moment. As I map out our music ministry for 2010, I’m keen to use as much local content as possible. For no very good reason, I put together a list of what I consider to be the 10 best contemporary church songs written in Australia, and I thought I’d share it with you. There is a definite bias toward Anglicans, though I’ve given a token nod toward Hillsong as well.

So here they are in descending order -

10. Shout to the Lord (Zschech)

This is the song that made Darlene and Hillsong famous. It’s been sung a million times in a million churches all around the world. Heart-felt lyrics, a sweet melody and an anthemic chorus all add up to a super smash hit.

9. Behold the Lamb of God (Chiswell/Smith)

Has not aged as well as some other songs, but hard to leave it off. It was revolutionary when it first entered Anglican circulation in the early 90s - it was just so much better than anything else going around. Still very popular in many churches.

8. Consider Christ (Percival/Smith)

A reluctant lyricist and a reluctant composer got together in 1996 and created this little gem. It remains their best collaboration, and it is a staple of Anglican play lists.

7. Take My Life (Manchester)

This was the stand out track from Garage Hymnal’s first album. A beautiful new melody reinvigorated a neglected old hymn.

6. For All You’ve Done (Morgan)

Reuben Morgan has written a host of terrific songs, but this is probably the best of them. A strong redemptive theme, some hints of theological depth, and a stellar descending chord progression under an exhilarating chorus. Wonderful.

5. We Belong to the Day (Morrow)

Michael Morrow has a knack for expressing deep truths in fresh and unconventional ways, and he writes original melodies that you feel like you’ve been singing for years. This song is his most popular, but he’s written many others just as good. He seems destined to become the Anglican Reuben Morgan.

4. May the Mind of Christ (Peterson)

You know you have a great melody when the song sounds terrific when sung with or without music. If only all our tunes were this good.

3. Psalm 96 (McDonald)

This is very nearly the perfect Christian song, and it has become a classic. A nice paraphrase of the psalm, a quietly exuberant verse and a gently anthemic chorus. McDonald seems to have retired after writing this song - perhaps he realised that he’d reached the pinnacle of the art.

2. My Hope is Built (Chiswell)

Nicky Chiswell writes great hooks, and this soaring chorus is one of her best. One of the few good anthems to come from an Anglican pen, and it is gold. A great song that has been phenomally popular - and deservedly so.

1. Never Alone (Percival/Richardson)

It’s hard to put your finger on why this song works so well. The lyrics are well crafted if a bit old-fashioned, the melody is bold and almost aggressive, and the chords are just conventional. Yet the sum of these parts is a marvelous, marvelous song that everyone loves singing, and that I never tire of playing. It rarely fails to send a shiver down my spine. This has become the signature song of Emu music, and I can’t see it losing that position any time soon.

Looking forward to your comments.

(Feature Photo: Flickr by divemasterking2000)