MercyMe Extends No. 1 Record on Christian Airplay Chart With ‘Then Christ Came’

MercyMe banks its record-extending 18th No. 1 on Billboard’s Christian Airplay chart as “Then Christ Came” tops the Feb. 11-dated list.

In the week ending Feb. 2, the song gained by 8% to 8 million airplay audience impressions, according to Luminate.

MercyMe frontman Bart Millard co-penned “Then” with Jason Ingram, David Leonard and Phil Wickham, while Tedd T produced it.

MercyMe bolsters its lead for the most No. 1s since the survey launched in June 2003 over runners-up Jeremy Camp, for King & Country and Matthew West (12 each). Next up are Casting Crowns and tobyMac (11 each) and Chris Tomlin (10).

MercyMe, which formed in 1994, earned its first Christian Airplay No. 1 when “Word of God Speak” began a record 23-week reign in August 2003. “Then” is the act’s first leader since “Almost Home” dominated for three weeks beginning in February 2020. “Say I Won’t” followed, reaching No. 4 in April 2021, and “On Our Way,” featuring Sam Wesley, hit No. 8 last February.

Sparks Flies, for King & Country Too

On Billboard’s Christian AC Airplay list, for King & Country’s “Love Me Like I Am,” with Jordin Sparks, hits the summit (up 8% in plays).

for King & Country, the sibling duo of Joel and Luke Smallbone (who co-authored the song), bank their 11th Christian AC Airplay leader.

Sparks scores her first Christian AC No. 1 in her initial visit to the chart. It’s the second entry on Billboard’s faith-based surveys for Sparks, who won the 2007 edition of American Idol. Social Club Misfits’ “Tuyo,” on which she and Danny Gokey are featured, reached No. 40 on the streaming-, airplay- and sales-based Hot Christian Songs list in August 2018. (She tallied four top 10s on the Pop Airplay chart in 2008-09.)

for King & Country notches its first Christian AC Airplay No. 1 since “For God Is With Us” started a four-week rule last June. The act’s version of holiday standard “Joy to the World” climbed to No. 4 in December.

On Christian Airplay, “Love” pushes 5-3 (7.3 million impressions, up 10%).

Gospel Takes Jordan’s ‘Call’

Marcus Jordan achieves his first Gospel Airplay No. 1 with “Call on the Name” (up 11% in plays).

The Houston-based Jordan, who solely authored and self-released “Name,” is pastor of the city’s St. Paul Missionary Baptist Church.

Jordan’s Gospel Airplay coronation marks the latest for a rookie entry and first since Lamont Sanders’ “He Kept Me” last September.