Is It legal to change the words of hymns?

Question:

I have a small group in the church that always sends e-mails to me whenever the choir sings any anthems, introits, and so on that contain any male references to God — "He," "Him," "Father," "Lord," and so on — most recently following the children's choir singing "Didn't My Lord Deliver Daniel." While I understand their feelings/frustrations, I just don't know what to do! Wouldn't it be illegal for me to change the text? copyright infringement? I always hear one woman change the "Our Father" to "Our Mother." I asked her about this; and her reply was, "We don't really know that Christ said, "Our Father" or cried "Abba." Please guide me. I am SO VERY frustrated.

Response:

First, if you are singing or speaking from public domain texts and want to make written changes, such as in the traditional version of The Lord's Prayer, then anyone can legally change the language to anything he or she prefers. If you want to make written changes for singing public domain words within a copyrighted musical setting, such as the familiar Malotte setting of "The Lord's Prayer," then you can change the words as you wish.

If, however, you want to make written changes for singing or speaking copyrighted words, the law does not permit you to make any changes to the text, even if you have purchased a music license (CCLI, LicenSing, OneLicense.net). You must reproduce the copyrighted text without alteration, or seek permission of the copyright holder to make changes.

There are legal options, however. If you are singing a copyrighted text from the hymnal such as "He touched me" (Bill Gaither's hymn), and you want to change it to "She touched me," understand that although the law prohibits you from changing the text in your hymnals or reproducing the revised text in your bulletin or projection screen, it does not prohibit you from giving the verbal direction to your congregation to "Please sing 'She touched me'" and then allowing them to sing whatever they prefer. The law does not control the verbal use of the text, only the written and reproduced use of it. I frequently invite congregations and groups I lead in singing "He Who Began a Good Work in You," no. 2163 in The Faith We Sing, to sing "God who began a good work…." In your hymnals or choir music, while you may not actually make changes within the printed hymn and text itself, it is legal for you to notate such changes in the margins or at the bottom of the page if you wish. As with all copyright matters, you may always request permission of the holder to make the changes. If they refuse, you're no worse off than before you asked.

Finally, the attitude of your church member that "We don't really know whether Jesus prayed "Our Father" or "cried Abba" is troublesome. Even if she is correct, using that as a justification for altering a copyrighted text is illegal. A copyrighted text is protected from changes without permission…period. Of course, in this particular example, the text is actually public domain, so she can change it however she sees fit.