Acoustic guitars are perfect instruments for church. Many Chrisitan worship musicians use acoustic guitars during congregations. There are loads of classic worship songs that sound great on acoustic guitar – this article shows the top 20 easiest Christian worship songs to play on acoustic guitar.
From Amazing Grace to other famous Christian songs we think we cover a wide gamut. We also include a list of easy worship songs that you can perform on your guitar as a beginner as a guitar player. These are all easy songs so even new guitarists will be able to play them comfortably.
If you’re looking to buy one of the best acoustic guitars, check out our post!
If you want an acoustic guitar that can be amplified, look at our post comparing acoustic vs acoustic-electric guitars!
Table of Contents
- Hillsong Worship – Amazing Love
- Judy Collins – Amazing Grace
- Come to the altar – Elevation
- What a friend we have in Jesus
- Lord I lift your name on the high
- How great is our God? – Chris Tomlin
- Rock of Ages – Augustus Toplady
- I could sing of Your love forever
- Heart of Worship – Matt Redman
- Nothing I Hold On To – Will Reagan
- Your Love Awakens Me – Phil Wickham
- Broken Vessels (Amazing Grace) – Hillsong
- What a beautiful name – Hillsong
- Build my life – Housefires
- See a victory – Elevation
- Who do I fear? – Chris Tomlin
- George J. Webb, text by George Duffield, Jr. – Stand Up, Stand Up For Jesus
- I Sing The Mighty Power Of God – Isaac Watts
- Battle Hymn Of The Republic – Julia Ward Howe
- Come, Christians, Join To Sing – Christian Bateman
1. Hillsong Worship – Amazing Love
Hillsong Worship’s “Amazing love” is one of the most popular acoustic guitar worship songs. The time signature is 4/4 and you’re going to hear two different rhythms between the chorus and verse.
You will hit each of the chords’ strings on your downwards strumming, but only some of these strings are hit by any upward strumming.
Although you won’t need capos to play this contemporary Christian music you could consider getting a guitar pick so that it doesn’t hurt your fingers. The lyrics tell us just how divine love can transform our lives and that the holy spirit spreads through the world.
2. Judy Collins – Amazing Grace
John Newton originally wrote the song in 1779. The lyrics all talk about being forgiven and redemption and are a major feature of many easy worship songs.
Judy Collins’ may be the greatest cover, it could even be better than the original version. To play the song you will have to know the main chords in the key of G. The track definitely has a sad kind of feeling about it and the lyrics were written in the first person so it will fit.
You can find forgiveness on hearing a worship song and find comfort in the love/love of God, that is exactly why the song has gotten its title. We selected her version as a simple hymn on the guitar list.
3. Come to the altar – Elevation
This video shows how wonderful an entire gathering seems when the music has minimal accompaniment. Worship is focused on God first and giving to him the essence of our lives with our own hearts.
With Acoustic worship sets, it’s a chance to dramatically simplify the music side of things, instilling new life into the spiritual side of a song. We tone down musical aspects to enhance the lyrics and the heart behind the lyrics. Elevation – worship is another classic track.
4. What a friend we have in Jesus
There are four verses for this song that conveys the teaching that you can find inner peace if you follow Jesus Christ.
In 1868 Louis Converse arranged a piece of music to accompany the beautiful words. This is easy and only uses simple chords. You’ll need three chords of C in this one which include C, F, and G. For the strumming pattern, you’ll follow folk influence. Have a heavier fourth strum to emphasize the swing.
This is a variation on an F chord because as a novice this can make chord transitions much easier. You may also want to use the F/C chord. This is an uplifting piece allowing anyone to feel comforted in God’s presence. The chords stay largely the same for the whole song.
5. Lord I lift your name on the high
You’ll play four chords throughout this song that include G, C, D, and the Em chord a single time. In the lyrics is praising God and praising our gratitude to a God who sacrificed Himself for sin.
6. How great is our God? – Chris Tomlin
The song was originally released on Chris Tomlin’s “Arriving“ and topped the Billboard top 15 best Christian songs of 2011. The intro sounds more like a rock song than a worship song but when Christ Tomlin sings you really come into the softness and smooth feeling of the overall melody. It’s magical when he says the lord’s holy name.
There are four chords you must know including G, C Em, and D/F#. You’ll find that if you practice the lyric a few times the harmony comes far more smoothly. The song is relatively slow so switching to each melody would be simple for a beginner.
7. Rock of Ages – Augustus Toplady
The song from 175 deals with surrendering to Christ on the cross so that you can be healed of your sins. This song had surprisingly nice harmonies to it which almost mirrored some songs heard in other anime films.
Behind the strumming patterns lies the driving force to which you can create four vertical strums and then utilize an upward after beating strum before the fourth note.
You will need to know three basic guitar chords here which consist of G, C, and D. If you want you can play this D chord like this or to a variation D/F.
8. I could sing of Your love forever
The song is now regarded as the standard song of the ’90s. In 2016, Justin Bieber sang with a crowd of hundreds. It is not surprising that this song performs well acoustically, particularly in the sound of it.
The song has remained popular among young people. It’s a classic of the 1990s but still reaches a huge power even among younger fans. It has been performed in churches everywhere.
9. Heart of Worship – Matt Redman
Matt Redmans ‘The Heart of worship’ is a new Christian musician music video. The song came into production by Redman when a pastor decided to give up the sound and band for a season.
The lyrics have strong Christian themes.”When the music fades everything will fade out and I just come / longing just to bring something worth that will bless your heart / I am going back to the music.
10. Nothing I Hold On To – Will Reagan
There are only three chords in this worship song. Therefore there is no need to memorize complex chord progression. The lyrics are just as simple as the lyrics. If anyone has a piano or guitar a song about this song will encourage them to worship. This short song is an ideal song to lead with guitar or keyboard. Any worship leaders will find this great to lead with their congregation. Can you feel the holy spirit?
11. Your Love Awakens Me – Phil Wickham
It proves that a heartwarming praise song can be done with acoustic guitars. The writers, Phil Wickham and Chris Quilala, the Jesus Culture lead singer, show how to create a classic song with just two acoustic guitars.
This song is often used for a slow, mid-range opener that includes rhythms and electric guitar. Most of the chords are played with a downward strum, with the odd upward strum at the end of the bar.
12. Broken Vessels (Amazing Grace) – Hillsong
The song’s amazing grace has been covered by many talented artists. Hillsong Worship performs a classic cover of the original, slightly mixing up the chord progressions.
You will change chords once in your songs every line, slightly slower than in the last few. The only part which can be slightly harder is that there aren’t been a repeating chord progression; there are only little changes between songs. Hillsong’s broken vessels (Amazing Grace) Hillsong is an internationally famous song and is an easy worship song to learn and play with a worship band,
13. What a beautiful name – Hillsong
This upbeat song was released in 2016 and it was subsequently considered to be the most popular worship today.
The song is already known to be one of the world’s best songs of worship for playing on an acoustic guitar. As in this video you can see that the sound of an acoustic guitar would be good for leading worship with this song. Playing it on an acoustic guitar makes the song sound authentic.
14. Build my life – Housefires
This song is great for an acoustic worship set. Housefires bring out new spirits and voices to worship. It’s not new to worship the ability to use acoustic guitars. This song is “Homefires”, which is a classic favorite.
Even though this song has five chords, the chord progression is relatively simple. It helps your understanding of the chords when you learn this.
15. See a victory – Elevation
Elevation appears to create lyrics that will work in practically any context. Here’s a good example of a song that will work well with any big orchestra or with a single instrument.
16. Who do I fear? – Chris Tomlin
The song was originally out in 2012 when it was one of the tracks in Chris Tomlin’s 7th studio album.
The song reached the number 10 position on the Billboard charts of the United States Christian Songs ranking. The upbeat feeling of the song makes you feel like lifting yourself out of a chair and singing along to the music.
This song only uses 5 chords, which are G C Em and D F#. The rhythm uses a consistent 4/4 time.
You should have three downward strums on the first 3 chords, and then include an upward strumming pattern for the last chord after beat 3. You can alternatively play it as four downward strums if that’s easier for you. Chris Tomlin has written many famous acoustic worship songs, so you should check him out if you’re interested.
17. George J. Webb, text by George Duffield, Jr. – Stand Up, Stand Up For Jesus
As a song, it encourages Christians to stay in Christ and battle against evil. It enlists the help of those who believe in Him to fight evil in the world. As a result, the hymn reminds the followers that trusting in Jesus would shield them from evil and help them in finding God’s splendor in God’s Kingdom.
George Duffield Jr was inspired by his partner Dudley Tyng, who denounced slavery in 1858, – this was the inspiration for this piece of work. To honor Tyng’s last remarks, which urged his fellow Believers to fight for a cause, the album’s name was given to the song. In my opinion, the song sounds more like a combat song than a hymn, which perfectly reflects its meaning and history!
Two chords are used in the song: A and D. You can change the sound of E by changing it Esus, but it’s just for aesthetic reasons. The song is also pretty leisurely, so the chord changes don’t happen too quickly. However, it may be important to include some upward strumming in the strumming pattern to ensure that the song is played smoothly.
18. I Sing The Mighty Power Of God – Isaac Watts
It’s another beautiful song that celebrates God’s creatures. Each line lists them sequentially, with the last line saying that they are purely the products of God’s overwhelming strength, hence the title. By the Lord’s command, all things in nature are created and placed under His care.
Isaac Watts penned the song for children in 1715. You commonly hear this song performed as part of a church choir’s performance these days. on the splendor of nature, particularly when performed in delicate, angelic voices. The music moves at a moderate tempo, making it easy to keep up.
The chords used in this song are very easy, revolving around three chords – C, F, and G. The chords A and D occur sometimes throughout the track. Additionally, it is performed using a plucking technique that involves all the strings, with particular emphasis on the sixth string.
19. Battle Hymn Of The Republic – Julia Ward Howe
This song, written and released in 1861, is steeped with history, as it was regarded during the Civil War. The lyrics relate to God’s judgment as described in the Bible, linking it to the country’s current battle. Later in the song, the lyrics sing of how the Lord’s splendor and sentencing have transformed them, and how, just as the Lord died to make mankind holy, men should struggle to liberate those who are oppressed.
As a happy praise hymn about God’s wrath on wickedness, the song evokes feelings of triumph and patriotism.
The tune follows chords G and C in with the occasional strumming of Am and D. The strumming is a little rapid because it’s a lively tune. You don’t have to be concerned, though, because the note shifts are minimal, as each line mainly keeps to the G note.
20. Come, Christians, Join To Sing – Christian Bateman
Christian Bateman’s popular worship song simply talks of the community of Christians coming together to glorify the Lord. It invites all Christians who can come together and praise the lord
While the song is relatively downtempo, it does elicit positive emotion. It might be due to an invitation to join friends and other God’s children in devotion, or just awe at God’s marvels. Although this is a little song with just three verses, make every effort to master it! When you learn the first verse you can repeat the pattern throughout.
The song utilizes a three-chord progression, which is similar to a lot of other tracks on this list. However, you’ll find yourself bouncing between G and D for the whole of the opening line. For each chord, the strum pattern is different, therefore it’s going to be a challenge!
Conclusion
You’ve reached the end of our list of acoustic worship songs. Hopefully, this has helped to expand your repertoire of Christian Worship music to play on acoustic guitar. For other great songs to learn, check out our list of the top 24 songs to learn on acoustic guitar!
Noah is an accomplished audio engineer with several years of experience producing music for major companies and independent artists. He enjoys sharing his vast knowledge of audio engineering topics to help musicians and music producers create great music.