Keith and Kristyn Getty are a songwriting duo from Northern Ireland, now based in Nashville. They wrote the modern hymn In Christ Alone, co-written with Stuart Townend in 2001, and lead the annual Sing! conference as well as Getty Music, both dedicated to renewing congregational singing.
Keith Getty grew up in Lisburn, Northern Ireland, where he learned classical guitar at eleven and then flute, before studying music at Durham University, graduating in 1995. Kristyn Lennox, born in Belfast in 1980, studied English literature at Queen's University Belfast before turning to songwriting. The two musicians met in 2002 and married in 2004, joining their talents to renew the writing of contemporary Christian hymns.
In 2001, Keith Getty co-wrote In Christ Alone with Stuart Townend, a song that quickly became a classic sung in churches around the world and translated into many languages, including French under the title En Christ seul. The couple went on to found Getty Music, a label and publishing house, then launched the Sing! conference in Nashville in 2017, which brings together thousands of pastors and musicians every year. In 2018, Keith Getty received the Order of the British Empire (OBE), a first for a contemporary Christian songwriter.
- Origin
- Lisburn and Belfast, Northern Ireland; based in Nashville, Tennessee, USA
- Style
- Modern hymns, congregational worship music
- Active since
- 2001 (In Christ Alone), first album in 2006
- Good to know
- Keith Getty received the OBE in 2018, a first for a contemporary Christian songwriter; the couple has led the Sing! conference in Nashville since 2017.
How did Keith and Kristyn Getty get started?
Keith Getty trained early in classical music in Northern Ireland before studying at Durham University. Kristyn Lennox, for her part, studied literature in Belfast before devoting herself to writing songs for the church. Their meeting in 2002 marked the beginning of an artistic collaboration that would also become a marriage, celebrated in 2004.
It was in 2001, before they were even a couple, that Keith Getty co-wrote In Christ Alone with Stuart Townend. Conceived as a doctrinal hymn summarizing the life of Christ, the song found rapid success and is today one of the most sung hymns in evangelical churches worldwide, with more than a hundred recordings on record.
What makes Keith and Kristyn Getty distinctive?
Unlike many contemporary worship artists, Keith and Kristyn Getty define themselves first and foremost as hymn writers: their songs favor dense doctrinal lyrics, written to be sung in congregation rather than performed on stage. This approach earned them recognition from Christianity Today magazine as preeminent hymn writers who have changed the way evangelicals worship. Their annual Sing! conference, launched in Nashville in 2017, extends this mission by training pastors and musicians in the writing of new hymns.
Where should you start with Keith and Kristyn Getty?
In Christ Alone remains the essential starting point, translated into French as En Christ seul and sung in many French speaking congregations. The live recordings from the Sing! conference, such as What a Friend We Have in Jesus or There Is a Fountain, then let you discover their work reinterpreting the great traditional hymns alongside other artists of the hymn renewal movement.
songs
What a Friend We Have in Jesus
Official lyric video of a nineteenth century hymn, one of the oldest in the English speaking Christian repertoire.
Give Me Jesus
A rendition of a traditional negro spiritual, recorded with singer Sonya Isaacs Yeary.
There Is a Fountain
Live recording from the Sing! 2025 conference, a rendition of a hymn based on the text of William Cowper.
Discography
- 2021Confessio: Irish American Roots· Nominated for a Grammy Award
- 2016Facing a Task Unfinished
- 2011Joy: An Irish Christmas
- 2010Songs That Jesus Said: Scripture in Music
- 2009Awaken the Dawn
- 2006In Christ Alone
Read also
Frequently asked questions
Who are Keith and Kristyn Getty?
Keith and Kristyn Getty are a songwriting duo from Northern Ireland, now based in Nashville. They are best known for co-writing the modern hymn In Christ Alone and for founding the Sing! conference, dedicated to renewing congregational singing.
What is Keith and Kristyn Getty's best known song?
In Christ Alone, co-written with Stuart Townend in 2001, is their best known song. Translated into French as En Christ seul, it has been recorded more than a hundred times and remains one of the most sung hymns in churches worldwide.
Are Keith and Kristyn Getty Christians?
Yes, their entire body of work is devoted to writing Christian hymns for the church. They lead Getty Music, a label and publishing house dedicated to renewing evangelical hymnody.
Where can you listen to Keith and Kristyn Getty in French?
Their most famous song, In Christ Alone, exists in a French translation titled En Christ seul and is sung in many French speaking congregations. Their original albums remain in English.
Since when have Keith and Kristyn Getty been writing hymns?
Their collaboration began in 2001 with In Christ Alone, even before their marriage in 2004. Their first joint album, also titled In Christ Alone, came out in 2006.
What is the Sing! conference?
Sing! is Getty Music's annual conference, launched in Nashville in 2017. It brings together thousands of pastors, musicians, and worship leaders from around the world to explore the place of singing in the church.