Worship Song Tempo Study: BPM of the CCLI Top 100 (2026)

Key findings

• 73% are under 80 BPM. 54 of 74 songs are listed below 80 BPM; 7 are 80–109 and 13 are 110 or faster.
• The 70s rule. 37 of 74 songs sit in the 70–79 BPM band, the biggest band by far.
• Most common tempos: 72 BPM (13 songs), 68 BPM (9 songs), 74 BPM (7 songs), 70 BPM (5 songs), 75 BPM (4 songs).
• Range: 58 BPM (How Great Thou Art) to 172 BPM (I Know A Name). Mean 84.1 BPM.
• For guitarists: at the typical 72 BPM, a dotted-eighth delay is 625 ms. Use the delay time calculator for any other tempo.

Tempo distribution

Every song: BPM and delay times

Delay times are calculated from the listed BPM (dotted eighth = 45000 ÷ BPM, quarter = 60000 ÷ BPM). Download the full data as CSV.

Method

1. We started from the CCLI Top 100 chart (US, week of Oct 19, 2026), the same list used in our worship song key study.
3. For each song we looked up the original recording’s tempo on MultiTracks.com (original master recording) or, if not listed there, WorshipTogether.com (original key).
4. 74 of 100 songs had a verified tempo; the other 26 were left out rather than guessed. Tempos are reported exactly as the source lists them; some sources count in half-time or double-time and we did not re-count.
5. Delay times are computed from the BPM, rounded to the nearest millisecond.

Sources

• CCLI SongSelect Top 100 (chart week of Oct 19, 2026): songselect.ccli.com
• MultiTracks.com song pages (original master recording BPM): multitracks.com
• WorshipTogether.com song pages: worshiptogether.com

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Related tools and guides

• Delay time calculator with tap tempo
• Worship song key study
• Chord transposer and capo finder
• How to get an ambient worship guitar sound
• Worship pedalboard guide
• Best key for congregational singing

FAQ

What is the most common tempo for worship songs?

In this study, 72 BPM was the most common tempo (13 of 74 songs), and half of all songs (37 of 74) sit between 70 and 79 BPM. The median is 73.5 BPM.

Are most worship songs slow?

Yes. 54 of 74 songs (73%) are listed under 80 BPM. Only 13 (18%) are 110 BPM or faster.

What dotted-eighth delay should I use at 72 BPM?

At 72 BPM a dotted-eighth delay is 625 ms (45000 ÷ 72). The table on this page lists the dotted-eighth time for every song in the study.

Where do the BPMs come from?

Each tempo is the one listed for the original recording on MultiTracks.com (original master) or WorshipTogether.com (original key). The source link for every song is in the table and the CSV.

Some songs feel like double the BPM. Why?

Tempo sources sometimes count a song in half-time or double-time. We report the BPM exactly as the source lists it and did not re-count any song.

Can I use this data?

Yes. The data and charts are free to use under CC BY 4.0. Please credit and link to Sandy Music Lab's Worship Song Tempo Study.