Its success contributed to a sharp increase in sales, and the song stayed on the Christian charts so long that plans for a third single from the album were scrapped.

Almost There has been certified triple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and has sold over 3 million copies in the United States.

MercyMe was formed in 1994 by vocalist Bart Millard, guitarist Mike Scheuchzer, and keyboardist Jim Bryson.

Millard was directed by a friend to contact Jeff Moseley, who had connections in the Christian music industry, for advice.

Millard called Kipley an "amazing guy" and credited him with improving the band's songwriting skills and teaching them about the music industry.

[6] Millard and MercyMe wrote every song on the album, with the exception of "I Worship You", which was written by Kipley and Regie Hamm.

Kipley produced and programmed the record, while Skye McCaskey and Julian Kindred engineered the album.

[15] Steve Losey of Allmusic compared Scheuchzer's "guitar nuances" to U2's guitarist the Edge and described Bryson's keyboards as being "intense but subtle".

[16] Losey described the album's first song "I Worship You" as "falling somewhere between adult contemporary and rock", and it utilizes acoustic guitars and "swirling" synthesizers.

[16] "Here Am I" relates the story of people who are not being reached by Christians,[17] and "challenges the listener to go out into the world and stand up for their King".

[18] "How Great is Your Love" incorporates both string and electronic instruments;[13] Millard's vocals in the song utilize "effect-laden delays".

Lyrically, the song parallels the prayer of the Biblical character Jabez in 1 Chronicles 4:10, asking God for blessing and protection from evil.

[17] The label aimed to give the band a wider appeal by capitalizing on the success of the popular book The Prayer of Jabez.

[30] The song debuted on the Christian AC chart on November 2, 2001;[31] it reached the number one position on February 22, 2002[32] and spent two weeks at the top spot.

However, "I Can Only Imagine" stayed on the Christian charts so long that by the time it fell off, the band had to begin work on their next record, and the song ultimately was not released to radio.

[36] Almost There was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on June 13, 2002,[23] signifying shipments of over 500,000 copies.

[46] Almost There was certified double platinum on January 20, 2005 by the RIAA;[23] as of 2012, it is one of only eight Christian albums to have reached that milestone, with others including P.O.D.

's Satellite, Switchfoot's The Beautiful Letdown, and Casting Crowns' self-titled debut album.

[47] In its 2000s decade-end charts, Billboard ranked Almost There as the fourth best-selling Christian album of the 2000s in the United States, behind only Satellite, The Beautiful Letdown, and Alan Jackson's Precious Memories.

While Woodroof felt the album did not deliver an innovative sound, he complemented it as offering "a breath of fresh air—and a sincerity sure to hold other artists wishing to dive into the genre accountable".

[19] The J Man of Crosswalk.com gave Almost There a B, and said that "In the ever-growing genre of modern worship, MercyMe steps up to the plate and drives a home run over the fence".

Breimier described the album as not being particularly good or bad and offered a weak recommendation to fans of worship bands like By the Tree and Delirious?.