Independent Worship Report

Rev Dr Daniel Thornton and Dr Shannan Baker

The songs your church sings, or may want to sing (or definitely don't want to sing) analysed not by just people with an opinion, but by experts in the field of congregational music studies, who are also experienced and active worship leaders, musicians, and educators. Rev Dr Daniel Thornton & Dr Shannan Baker pull apart the most sung worship songs - music, lyrics, media, industry - to help you make your own assessment about what your local church should (or shouldn't) be singing.

Episodes

  1. 6d ago

    Ep 8 - Trust In God

    Yet another 6/8 song in the CCLI Top Songs list, with a ghost writer, Fanny Crosby. I jest, but if you want to know more, I guess you need to listen to the episode.

  2. Oct 23

    Ep 7 - Great Are You Lord

    An enduring song in the CCLI Top 25 for 12 years, and yet one with the smallest lyric count. What's going on there? Join us for this episode.

  3. Oct 16

    Ep 6 - Gratitude

    Brandon Lake's Gratitude has been persistently popular in congregational worship since its release. Why? Listen to the podcast.

  4. Oct 9

    Ep 5 - Awesome God, Lord I Lift, & Majesty

    Time to rewind the clock... or are you still singing one of these? Classic contemporary congregational songs that proved their influence sitting in the CCLI Top 25 for at least 10 years. Enjoy the first throwback episode.

  5. Oct 1

    Ep 4 - Holy Forever

    Holy Forever is a popular song for musical worship, with an interesting collaboration of writers, and varied perspectives in lyrical language. We pull it apart in this episode. Enjoy.

  6. Sep 25

    Ep 3 - Goodness of God

    Goodness of God has been one of (if not) the most popular CCS in the past decade. With an array of writers and recordings, we explore how and why this song works the way it does, and what might have contributed to its popularity.

  7. Sep 18

    Ep 2 - Praise

    Praise by Elevation Worship is a popular worship song. In this episode, we pull it apart, musically, lyrically, as well as exploring industry, its origins and writers. We originally set out to cover 2 songs per episode, but after this one you'll know why we've decided 1 per episode is more than enough!

  8. Sep 12

    Ep 1 - Introductions

    Before diving into the most sung contemporary congregational songs (or what you probably just call "worship"), let's get to know each other. Daniel & Shannan share personal history, previous scholarship, and debate the approaches and language used for future episodes.

  • 8 Episodes

About

The songs your church sings, or may want to sing (or definitely don't want to sing) analysed not by just people with an opinion, but by experts in the field of congregational music studies, who are also experienced and active worship leaders, musicians, and educators. Rev Dr Daniel Thornton & Dr Shannan Baker pull apart the most sung worship songs - music, lyrics, media, industry - to help you make your own assessment about what your local church should (or shouldn't) be singing.

Information

  • Creator
    Rev Dr Daniel Thornton and Dr Shannan Baker
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    8
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Rev Dr Daniel Thornton and Dr Shannan Baker
  • Show Website
    Independent Worship Report