Chris Tomlin is an American songwriter and worship leader born in 1972 in Grand Saline, Texas. The writer of songs sung worldwide such as How Great Is Our God and Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone), he was named by Time magazine as the most sung artist in the world.
Christopher Dwayne Tomlin was born on May 4, 1972, in Grand Saline, a small Texas town, where he began singing at age thirteen at Main Street Baptist Church. He wrote his first worship song at fourteen and received his first guitar from his father. As a student at Texas A&M, he led worship for a campus group, Breakaway, where he became friends with pastor Louie Giglio, a decisive encounter that set him on the path to full-time music ministry.
Starting in 1999, Tomlin became one of the regular worship leaders at the Passion conferences, founded by Louie Giglio in Atlanta, alongside artists such as Matt Redman and Christy Nockels. This scene launched songs that became standards in evangelical churches worldwide, such as How Great Is Our God and Our God. Time magazine called him the most sung artist in the world, and his official website claims more than eight billion cumulative streams across platforms.
- Hometown
- Grand Saline, Texas, USA
- Style
- Contemporary worship, congregational singing
- Active since
- 1995 (first album), nationally recognized from 2001
- Good to know
- Time magazine named him the most frequently sung artist in the world; he has won a Grammy Award and twenty-three Dove Awards.
How did Chris Tomlin get started?
Chris Tomlin grew up in a modest family in Grand Saline, a Texas town of around 2,500 people that lives off salt mining. He began singing at the local Baptist church at thirteen and wrote his first worship song the following year. After studying at Tyler Junior College and then Texas A&M, he led worship on his campus before an encounter with pastor Louie Giglio set him on the path to full-time music ministry.
His first independent album, Inside Your Love, came out in 1995, followed by Authentic in 1998. It was his involvement with the Passion conferences, starting in 1999, that brought him to a national audience alongside Matt Redman and Louie Giglio. His first nationally distributed album, The Noise We Make, was released in 2001 and laid the foundation for the style that would define his success.
What makes Chris Tomlin unique?
Unlike more experimental artists, Chris Tomlin favors simple, easily singable melodies designed to be taken up by local churches rather than just listened to in concert. This approach, according to Time magazine, has made him the most sung artist in the world: songs like How Great Is Our God and Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone) are among the most widely used in evangelical worship services, including outside the United States thanks to their translations.
Where should you start with Chris Tomlin?
How Great Is Our God remains the most natural entry point: this song, translated into French as Combien Dieu est grand, is one of the most sung in French-speaking churches. Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone), which reimagines the traditional hymn, and his most recent album, The King Is Still the King (2025), then let you trace the evolution of his songwriting across three decades of his career.
songs
Doesn't He (Deserve It All)
A single from the album The King Is Still the King, released in August 2025.
Tin Roof
A duet with songwriter Blessing Offor, released as a lyric video on the official channel.
Jesus Saves
A single from the album The King Is Still the King, released in September 2025.
Discography
- 2025The King Is Still the King
- 2022Always
- 2020Chris Tomlin & Friends
- 2018Holy Roar
- 2016Never Lose Sight
- 2014Love Ran Red
- 2013Burning Lights
Read also
Frequently asked questions
Who is Chris Tomlin?
Chris Tomlin is an American songwriter and worship leader born in 1972 in Grand Saline, Texas. Rising to prominence through the Passion conferences in the late 1990s, he is the author of several of the most widely sung worship songs in evangelical churches around the world.
What is Chris Tomlin's best-known song?
How Great Is Our God, released in 2004, is probably his most universally known song. Translated into French as Combien Dieu est grand, it remains one of the most widely sung worship songs in French-speaking churches.
Is Chris Tomlin a Christian?
Yes, Chris Tomlin is an evangelical Christian whose entire career is devoted to worship music. He grew up in a Texas Baptist church and still leads worship today at the Passion conferences.
Where can you listen to Chris Tomlin in French?
Several of his songs have been translated and recorded by French-speaking artists, such as Combien Dieu est grand (TopChrétien Musique) or Notre Dieu, an adaptation co-written with Matt Redman and Jonas Myrin that is widely sung in French churches.
How long has Chris Tomlin been making music?
He released his first independent album in 1995 and gained national recognition from 2001 with The Noise We Make. His career now spans nearly thirty years, with his latest album, The King Is Still the King, released in 2025.
How many awards has Chris Tomlin received?
He won a Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Christian Music Album in 2012 and twenty-three Dove Awards, including Songwriter of the Year in 2014.