Top Christian Albums is a weekly chart published in
''Billboard'' magazine that ranks the best-performing
Christian albums
Top Christian Albums is a weekly chart published in ''Billboard'' magazine that ranks the best-performing Christian albums in the United States. Like the ''Billboard'' 200, the data is compiled by Nielsen Soundscan based on each album's weekly ...
in the United States. Like the
''Billboard'' 200, the data is compiled by
Nielsen Soundscan
Luminate (formerly Nielsen SoundScan, Nielsen Music Products, and MRC Data) is a provider of music sales data. Established by Mike Fine and Mike Shalett in 1991, data is collected weekly and made available every Sunday (for albums sales) and eve ...
based on each album's weekly physical and
digital
Digital usually refers to something using discrete digits, often binary digits.
Technology and computing Hardware
*Digital electronics, electronic circuits which operate using digital signals
** Digital camera, which captures and stores digital ...
sales, as well as on-demand streaming and digital sales of its individual tracks. The chart was introduced on the magazine issue dated March 29, 1980, under the title "Best Selling Inspirational LPs".
The current name was adopted on August 16, 2003, in an effort to "streamline" chart titles. The first number-one album was
Candle
A candle is an ignitable wick embedded in wax, or another flammable solid substance such as tallow, that provides light, and in some cases, a fragrance. A candle can also provide heat or a method of keeping time.
A person who makes candle ...
's ''
Music Machine''.
's ''
Age to Age'', released in 1982, topped the chart for 85 consecutive weeks, the longest for any album on the chart.
As of the issue dated December 24, 2022, the current number-one album is ''
Christmas Eve and Other Stories'' by
Trans-Siberian Orchestra
Trans-Siberian Orchestra (TSO) is an American rock band founded in 1996 by producer, composer, and lyricist Paul O'Neill, who brought together Jon Oliva and Al Pitrelli (both members of Savatage) and keyboardist and co-producer Robert Kinkel ...
.
Artist milestones
Most number-one albums
Most cumulative weeks at number one
Album milestones
Most cumulative weeks at number one
The following albums have spent at least 30 cumulative weeks atop the chart:
Most consecutive weeks at number one
The following albums have spent at least 25 consecutive weeks atop the chart:
Most weeks on the chart
The following albums have spent at least 200 weeks on the chart:
Number ones
See also
*
Christian Songs
*
Official Christian & Gospel Albums Chart
References
External links
*
{{Billboard
Christian Albums
Top Christian Albums is a weekly chart published in ''Billboard'' magazine that ranks the best-performing Christian albums in the United States. Like the ''Billboard'' 200, the data is compiled by Nielsen Soundscan based on each album's weekly ...
Contemporary Christian music