About

Christy Kohnle

Many of Christy's earliest memories are wrapped in the music of the Church—singing in the choir, memorizing hymns, and writing songs as personal, musical conversations between her and God. While she appreciates all types of music, Christian music has always been the music of her heart.

As an adult, Christy continued to write songs privately, only ever intending to share them with her "audience of One." That changed at a church music conference in 2003, when a speaker asked: What is the one thing God has prepared, equipped, and expected you to do—that you have not done? Christy immediately knew she was being called to share her songs. Soon after, her pastor—with no prior knowledge of her songwriting—asked her to write a song their church could sing for Holy Communion. Since the song was first presented, "In Remembrance" has been sung by congregations around the world.

Today, Christy has a communications consulting business, is a leader in her church, and is an active member of her church's music ministry. She is also available to speak and lead workshops on songwriting, church music copyrights, and other related topics. Christy and her husband, Tony, have two grown children and live in the Charleston, SC area.

Philosophy

The Ideas that Guide Every Song

Biblically Sound

Not just lovely, but True

A song doesn't need to be explicitly packed with theology to be worth using, but it does need to be consistent with Godly principles. Songwriters strive to create lovely, singable, memorable melodies but, even more important is that the words they carry are biblically sound.

Written for Every Moment

More than Sunday morning

A Christian life is lived far beyond Sunday services and Bible studies—it's the wedding and the graveside, the diagnosis and the recovery, the long commute, the quiet morning before anyone else is awake, the lullaby hummed over a crib. Music fills those moments whether or not a Christian song is there to fill them. In the absence of Christ-centered songs, the songs that end up shaping a memory, a milestone, even a life, are often secular by default.

Written in Collaboration

Compounding Gifts

Every song here began in collaboration with the Holy Spirit. But the Lord occasionally arranges other collaboration opportunities, as well. A songwriter can write alone, yet both the songwriter and the Body of Christ can benefit when Christian creatives work together. Songwriting for God and His people isn't a competition; it's an opportunity to compound our gifts.

A Sacred Stewardship

Stewardship doesn't end when a song is finished

Once a song is written, the songwriter remains a steward of it—accountable for how it's used. Copyright law confers a bundle of exclusive rights on the person who holds them: the right to reproduce the work, distribute copies of it, perform it publicly, display it, create derivative works (like an arrangement) from it, and—specific to sound recordings—transmit them through digital audio services. With that bundle comes real responsibility. (More on how this applies to a specific song on the Licensing page—coming soon. For the full legal picture, see the U.S. Copyright Office.)

Collaborations

Active Collaborations

Some songs on this site are the result of partnership—arrangements, co-writes, and shared creative work with other musicians who bring their own gifts to the projects.

Mark Rippe

Composer & Arranger, St. Andrew's Collection

Mark is a composer and arranger whose original works and arrangements of public-domain songs serve traditional worship services through his own St. Andrew's Collection, with sheet music offered free of charge. He has arranged several of my songs and contributed the music to "New Life", which we wrote together.

Future Collaboration Inquiries

Open to New Collaborations

Musicians, arrangers, and fellow songwriters interested in adapting, arranging, or co-writing a song together are welcome to reach out.

Start the Conversation

Commissions

A song written for your occasion

Original songs may be written by commission for weddings, ministries, and other specific occasions.