Eternity Music promotes faith based music as a means of evangelism, healing and unity. We promote all genres of music by Christian artists. Music is more than entertainment - it's on the cutting edge of evangelism and is absolutely strategic to what God is doing in our time.

Some popular Christian music artists from Australia include:

  1. Hillsong Worship
  2. Darlene Zschech
  3. Joel Houston
  4. Brooke Fraser
  5. Reuben Morgan
  6. Ben Fielding
  7. Taya Gaukrodger

There are also many gospel choirs and Christian music festivals in Australia, such as the Sydney Gospel Music Festival and the Australian Christian Music Awards.

Top 10 Christian Music Artists of All Time

In no particular order, here is our list of the top 10 best Christian music artists of all time.

Top Christian music artist Amy Grant.

Amy Grant

Amy is the biggest selling artist of all time in the category of contemporary Christian music.

Amy had huge success with her 1991 album Heart in Motion. The album produced five hit singles, the biggest of which was Baby Baby.

Amy's career took off when she was a teenager in the 1970s, long before Heart in Motion. She has maintained a interesting and varied career to the present, experimenting with a variety of musical styles.

Top 10 contemporary Christian music artist John Elefante.

John Elefante

John Elefante came to fame in 1981 as the lead singer of Christian rock band Kansas. The band enjoyed great success before John left in 1984.

Along with his brother Dino, John produced popular Christian pop/rock band Petra in the second half of the 1980s. It led to a busy career as a music producer, with John also involved in arrangement and performance.

John has worked in numerous genres, from gospel to metal. He had a hit solo album in 1999: Defying Gravity.

Legendary Christian and mainstream music artist Phil Keaggy.

Phil Keaggy

Phil started performing as a teenager in the mid 1960s. He converted to Christianity in 1970 following the death of his mother in a road accident.

Keaggy has had a distinguished career as a vocalist and guitarist across mainstream, Christian and instrumental genres. He has performed in bands and as a solo artist, releasing 50+ albums.

Phil was inducted into the Gospel Hall of Fame in 2007. He has also picked up numerous awards for guitar playing.

One of the top 10 contemporary Christian musicians, Michael W Smith.

Michael W Smith

Michael's music career took off in his early 30s when he converted to Christianity and joined the group Higher Ground. He wrote songs for and was the opening act for Amy Grant in the early 1980s.

Michael has appeared regularly at the top of the contemporary Christian charts. He has 3 Grammy Awards in Gospel categories.

Michael's biggest hit was the 1991 release Place in this World, which peaked at number 6 on the mainstream charts.

Larry Norman was a pioneer of the Christian rock music genre.

Larry Norman

Larry Norman (1947-2008) was a true pioneer of the Christian rock music genre. He released 100+ albums as a musician, singer and songwriter. He was also a record label owner and record producer.

Larry's first album, Upon this Rock (1969), is widely regarded as the first genuine Christian rock album.

Numerous Christian music artists have been influenced by Larry. He was a tough critic towards the genre itself and lamented some commercial aspects.

Mark Heard is one of the top 10 Christian musicians on the back of an enduring songwriting legacy.

Mark Heard

The poetic Mark Heard (1951-1992) was a folk rock singer, songwriter and record producer who has received enduring critical acclaim. He died from cardiac arrest at age 40, several weeks after suffering a heart attack on stage.

Mark started Fingerprint Records in the late 1980s, initially as a way of gaining greater personal artistic freedom.

He won the American Music Association award for Song of the Year in 2005 for "Worry Too Much", which was re-recorded by Buddy Miller.

Casting Crowns is one of the more recent entries among the all time top Christian music artists.

Casting Crowns

Casting Crowns is a contemporary Christian band that was formed in 1999 by youth pastor (and lead vocalist) Mark Hall.

The group made two independent albums before enjoying rapid success in 2005. Their self-titled album gained platinum status within two years. The song "Voice of Truth" topped the Christian charts for 14 weeks.

Casting Crowns' follow-up studio albums enjoyed similar success. The band's overall record sales exceed 5 million.

Jars of Clay won Grammys for their first three Christian rock albums.

Jars of Clay

Jars of Clay is a Christian rock band that came together at Greenville College in the early 1990s. It won a Gospel Music Association talent contest in 1994.

The band enjoyed a great run of success starting in 1997 with the release of the album Much Afraid. It went platinum and earned the band a Grammy in the gospel album category.

The success continued with the band's third and fourth albums, both of which also earned Grammy awards.

Kirk Franklin is a consistently top performer in terms of sales by a Christian music artist.

Kirk Franklin

Kirk Franklin is an acclaimed gospel musician and choir director who has sold more than 20 million albums.

Kirk's career began in 1992 when he formed "The Family", a 17-person choir. They were quickly signed and made a debut album that went platinum. It was one of three singing groups Kirk worked with in the 1990s.

Kirk embarked on a solo career in 2001 that has featured numerous collaborations. He has won seven Grammys in total.

Steven Curtis Chapman is one of the top selling Christian music artists of all time.

Steven Curtis Chapman

Steven Curtis Chapman is a Christian singer-songwriter and record producer who has released more than 20 albums.

Steven has enjoyed consistent success since making his first album, First Hand, in 1987. It reached number 2 on the Christian Music Chart.

Steven has been playing to a mainstream audience since the early 1990s. He has won 5 Grammys and holds records for Gospel Music Dove Awards, including the most "Artist of the Year" awards (7) and most for all categories (58).

Religious Education in Australia

Christian music is an important tool for encouraging the passionate following of Christian faith. Another way of deepening your faith and promoting awareness of God's teachings is by studying religion.

Religious Education Courses Religious studies courses at Australian universities.

Australian universities offer 3 main types of religion courses. Religious Studies exposes students to the world's major religions. It is often completed as part of a broad liberal arts education.

Religious Education is similar to Religious Studies but is designed for current or aspiring teachers who want to teach religion in schools.

Theology and Ministry courses look at the practices and beliefs of a specific religion, often Christianity. They are generally meant for committed followers.

Lerna Courses guide to religious studies online in Australia

If you are interested in studying religion, we have a list of religious studies courses available at Australian universities. Thanks to Lerna Courses for supporting us in developing and presenting this information.

Australian Religious Universities

Australia has 3 religious universities. The Australian Catholic University is the biggest and is open to people of all faiths. The University of Notre Dame Australia is a private, Catholic university. The University of Divinity consists of a group of Christian denominated Theology and Ministry schools in Melbourne.

For more detail see our profiles of Australia's religious universities.

Christian School Associations

Many Christian schools in Australia belong to a wider association of Christian schools. These associations are focused on promoting Christian principles in school through a bible-based and Christ-centred curriculum.

How they began

The Protestant Christian School movement in Australia began through the efforts of Dutch migrants who carried with them the tradition from their country. They brought together parents who wanted to start Christian schools without having to rely on the government. Early schools were established in Albany, Launceston and Kingston, Tasmania. These schools were affiliated under one umbrella organization, The National Union of Christian Parent Controlled Schools. This organization later came to be called the Christian Educational National in a 2008 renaming.

The difference

Both rural and large metropolitan schools in Australia are feeling the need to be part of the many Christian school associations most of which are headed by a national board. From a historical point of view, church schools were established in Australia by Roman Catholic and Protestant churches. These schools have over the years progressed the Christian schools association because of their independence from the government and private sector In Australia.

The protestant churches work collectively for their common aim, and are actively run by parents in the school boards. It is important to note however that these school associations were not established out of dissatisfaction from the government way of running schools. Rather, parents really wanted schools that could instil Christian values into their children as part of the whole education process (brought to life in some of the fictional writings of Melina Marchetta).

The rise of Christian schooling in Australia

Over time, parents in Australia have noticed the difference in children who attend the Christian schools. Many such schools have received a wide acclamation from parents and other churches, and more people are joining the movement.

Close to 91 schools are associated with the Australian Association of Christian Schools (AACS), 130 and more and under the Christian Schools Australia (CSA) while 48 plus more are under the Adventist Schools Australia (ASA).

  • All these schools agree to a statement of faith from the bible and they employ teachers and other staff who share the same belief in God.
  • The schools teach their students that they are part of the kingdom of God which is the most important aspect of their whole education.
  • Faith-based schools have also extended into the aboriginal community (e.g. CAPS) and promote the cultural and economic emancipation of aboriginal people.

Christian school organizations

Notable Christian school associations in Australia include Christian Schools Australia, Lutheran Education Australia, Christian Educational National, National Institute for Christian Schools, and the Australian Association of Christian Schools.

Supporting stronger families

Eternity Music supports Child Support Australia and we pray for all children and parents affected by separation or divorce.