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New Presbyterian Hymnal/Congregational Song Resource Update
A few weeks ago I attended the second meeting of (what then was called) The Presbyterian Hymnal Committee. It was a grand meeting during which the committee got much accomplished and prepped for receiving new materials for new hymn and song resources.
I commend our press release to you, which may be found at the committee’s website.
To whet your appetite, though, here’s a few highlights from the meeting
- We changed our name! Yep, from The Presbyterian Hymnal Committee to the Presbyterian Committee on Congregational Song (which, thank goodness, can be pronounced acronymally as “peacocks”). We thought that “Hymnal Committee” was not sufficiently broad, as we’re considering more than just a printed “hymnal,” and more than just “hymns” in the final product.
- We made clear the guidelines for submissions old and new (go here)
- We adopted a theological vision to guide our work. Check it out on the website. As the release says, “the Theological Vision Statement focuses on a framework of salvation history-God’s powerful acts of creation, redemption, and final transformation-and on the human responses made possible by such gracious acts. In the words of the document, placing priority on God’s empowering and transformative actions “offers hope to those whose faith in human efforts has been undermined.” It also invites a broadly inclusive scope as a means of most faithfully giving voice to “the breadth and length and height and depth of the love of Christ” (Eph 3:18).”
I’m grateful to the committee for the good work, collegial spirit, and prayerful friendships that continue to support me in the process. Two meetings down… ?? to go!
Connect Online
You are in good company! I got to know Chi Yi Chen during my years at PTS, and absolutely adore her. I also had the opportunity to meet and work with Mel Bringle at St. Olaf’s conference on worship, theology, and the arts this past summer. I might be a Lutheran, but I’m a music and liturgy geek, so I’m excited about this project, and look forward to hearing your experiences with it.
good and important work, thanks adam for serving us in this way!
Thanks for the update – appreciate the new monniker for the group – will continue to pray the group along the way of this extraordinary task.
Sarah
We need some more hymns for Advent, Lent, and Pentecost.
Thanks, folks. @stushie, we’ve heard a lot of requests for more Advent, Lent, Pentecost and similar hymns. I totally agree and we’ll do our best!
Adam,
Just read through the entire hymnal site. No place for feedback. Glad you’re open, but for me that speaks volumes that there is no place for general comments.
I know the licensing issues I brought up are thorny, but I don’t see a future in paper. You commented way back that many publishers refuse to allow electronic licensing. What if all the Hymnal companies got together and refused to print paper copies? My suggestion is as much about cooperation, reaching across denominational lines and pushing the change that will happen in the best directions. We’ll have more pull together than separate.
I just read the above to my wife who commented, “The hymnal companies will never do that, printed hymnals are their bread and butter.” Perhaps this is the real core issue? Have Research Services do a quick survey online with email invites:
1. Do you have an electronic license to print, project, etc. music with CCLI, LicenSing, OneLicense, etc.?
2. Do you use printed hymnals for worship every week? Every service?
3. Will you buy printed hymnals in the future or use other sources?
I think the results might be surprising.
Oh, one other thing, I do hope the committee is seriously paying attention to the fact that >50% of our congregations are under 100 members (which means 50-70 attending) and 80% are under 150 members (75-120 attending). Maybe two hymnals?
Thanks, David. We haven’t put up a place for general comments on the website but there’s plenty of conversation going on in our facebook groups (search for “presbyterian congregational song project”).
We have commissioned several exhaustive surveys of the congregation so yeah, definitely, we’re on top of the research there.
Regarding the majority of our congregations who are under 100 members — they are very much on my mind as I am moving to a presbytery in which 80% of the churches are under 100 members. I may well receive a call to one. Many of these, though, do not have internet and enjoy the consistency of a printed hymnal.
All that said, your intuition that partnership is the key to get the companies to move is right on, and we’re building as many as we can. Different licensing groups have different philosophies about these things, so, well, time will tell….
Oh, and there will be some changes to the website going up fairly soon. Fun surveys for sure, if not general comments.
Adam, got a question for you. Has the PCCS considered endorsing an ecumenical hymnal instead of publishing a new denominational one? My home congregation at one time had three hymnals in the pews….the blue Presbyterian hymnal, the contemporary paper back Lift Up Your Hearts (Presbyterian) and Hymns for the Family of God.
When we found the splendid ecumenical hymnal Worship and Rejoice from Hope Publishing we replaced all three with that one! It has like 800 selections…a couple hundred more then any other hymnal. It has lots of the traditional stuff, many with updated language. It has many newer hymns and choruses…including music from Taize. It is multicultural and the theological integrity is amazing!
Churches of many mainline denominations are selecting Worship and Rejoice for all these reasons. Truly I can not image a Presbyterian hymnal that will even come close to the diversity of this one and at the great price of $12.95 making it extremely affordable.
I read today that the United Methodist have pulled the plug on their hymnal committee due to the unfavorable economic climate. Perhaps we Presbyterians ought to do the same….recently our whole national staff was
required to take an unpaid leave because of hard times. With such an amazing hymnal as Worship and Rejoice available and resources so scarce these days, I pray the committee you serve on would consider endorsing this option….and by the way, I am not an employee of Hope Publishing, just a lover of congregational singing and a devotee of ecumenism.
Thanks for listening! And, I tried to find the site you created at Facebook to no avail.
Thanks for the comments, Tom. Sorry it’s taken me a while to address them.
To answer your first question specifically — no, we’re not really considering scrapping the project or trying to make only an ecumenical resource. We’re committed to making a resource aware of the growing ecumenicism but also claiming and informed by our Presbyterian heritage. On a related note, please know that 100% of the costs of the project are covered by the Presbyterian Publishing Corporation and not the denomination. They are separate entities, though very friendly, obviously, but the publishing house has it’s own board and budget.
That said, we are definitely looking into Worship and Rejoice, and many other recent hymnals. The 1990 blue hymnal was actually published under another name and has sold well to non-presbyterian congregations, so that’s also something we’re considering.
So thanks for the great comments. Oh, and here’s a link to the facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=home&__a=1#/group.php?gid=107417645672&ref=ts
Adam, thanks for the response. I did find the facebook site and have subscribed. Hope it is ok to respond to your reponse.
The issue that I am trying to raise is not just about who covers the cost of the project…it is an issue of good stewardship….in a time when resources are scarce, it does not appear to be good use of time, energy, and dollars to produce a new Presbyterian branded hymnal when there is such a fine ecumenical hymnal as Worship and Rejoice already available and at a vary fair cost.
I was a commissioner to General Assembly in 1990 when the Blue Hymnal was unveiled and still have my special gift copy that each commissioner got that year. It was an excellent hymnal for that time, and I was a strong advocate of our congregation getting it, which we did. The reddish covered ecumenical edition did so well with non-Presbyterians because at that time there was truly no ecumenical mainline hymnal that was available as an option…..and the ecumenical edition of the Presybyterian Hymnal served that purpose well.
But, it is now almost twenty years later, and Hope Publishing who has a history of producing fine hymnals for more evangelical audiences has produced Worship and Rejoice for a much larger audience.
One of the strong marks of Presbyterianism is being ecumenically involved.
What a strong witness it could be to our commitment to ecumenical relationships if we would stop trying to reinvent the wheel and accept an ecumenical resource as our own. Over the past thirty years Presbyterians have been involved in ecumeical curriculum publishing beginning with the Christian Education Shared Approaches resources…using ecumenical resources is not a new thing for our denonimation.
I would hope that the committee would not simply look at Worship and Rejoice as one of many new hymnals to consider…but in the cause of good stewardship and ecumenical relationships give consideration to Worship and Rejoice. Thanks for listening! Tom
Now
Thanks, Tom. We’ll definitely have some more discussion regarding your ecumenical points, though I think I’d argue that there’s enough distinctive about the PC(USA) that it’s worth the effort to develop a new resource. Sure, many songs may be similar to those used by Hope, but there are plenty of differences. And even the best resource can be improved and added to later when other songs are written. I hear you, though, and take your comments about stewardship very seriously. Peace.
Adam, thanks again for you thoughtful reply and taking the time to respond to my thoughts. Just wondering if you have personally had the opportunity to reveiw Worship and Rejoice and what your thoughts are on it? Peace to you my friend.
INSTRUMENTAL HYMNAL
Psalm 150, “…let everything that has breath praise the Lord.”
1. Sometimes instrumentalists participate in contemporary services because they can be part of a band for which there is seldom a counterpart in traditional worship since the organ is the primary accompaniment for congregational singing.
2. Youth and adult instrumentalists eagerly participate in our traditional services via our Instrumental Ensemble in which they play along on the congregational hymns, accompanied by organ.
3. Writing out all those parts so they match the music (i.e., not “hymn arrangements”) in our hymnal takes time and the music must be sent to them to practice before rehearsal. There are books like this published but they often do not have hymns that are in our hymnal or they have hymns with the same title but different melodies, harmonies, rhythms, or keys.
4. Having a website from which instrumentalists and/or music directors could print out hymn melodies and harmony parts for standard wind and string instruments would greatly facilitate the process of including instrumentalists in accompanying the congregational hymn-singing. The instrumentalists could conveniently download the music from their own computers for practicing before rehearsal.
5. The website format that I would prefer would be as follows. Select hymn (by title and/or number and/or tune name). Select “melody” or “harmony” or “both.” Select instrument.
Is there someone out there with skills in music printing software (Finale, Silbelius, Cakewalk, etc.) who would like to make money setting up this kind of website? There could be a nominal fee charged per hymn and billed to a credit card to facilitate the business transaction so that the creator of such a website could be recompensed.
Dr. Wayne Earnest
As a chrch in a united voice stand firm in the displeasure of the 10 year old hymnal and almost exclusively use the 25 year old hymnal. It was a travesty to leave out the old classics such as “The Old Rugged Cross”. Any new versions should include some new QUALITY hymns. But the standards deserve the place of reverence. Place praise in it”s own supplement and don’t omit the beloved hymns we grew up loving. Pleasing everyone is impossible but don’t ignore our history.