Thinking About a New Hymnal #5—What the People Are Saying

What might a new United Methodist hymnal for the U.S.A. look like? What will it contain? Will we sing or speak the psalms? What worship services will be included? Will we call God mother or father or both? Will "Onward Christian Soldiers" and "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" remain? Will the hymnal be another print book for the pew racks, or will it be on a disc for projecting onto screens? Or will we decide which songs and hymns we need for a particular Sunday and download them from a website? Will we have hymns and songs in many languages? Will the hymnal include more contemporary praise and worship songs and choruses? How about some rap, responsories, revival songs, or reciting tones? Will it have more newly composed hymns in traditional style? Will we lose or gain Wesley hymns? Will the texts of Wesley be simplified and/or set to contemporary music? Will the hymnal have melody only, four-part harmony, or keyboard accompaniment with guitar chords? Will we project words only or words and music? Will old favorite hymns be dropped to make room for the new songs and choruses?

Discipleship Ministries and the United Methodist Publishing House (UMPH) last year completed a four-year study of the music and worship needs of The United Methodist Church, primarily those associated with congregational song. (See the complete study report.) Discipleship Ministries has recently completed a series of research surveys related to music and worship practice and our hymnal. These studies and research surveys are valuable in finding out what the people, pastors, and musicians think about these and other issues related to worship, congregational singing, and our hymnal. They help agencies and editorial committees understand what are the practices, trends, desires and needs in the local congregation. They help agencies and publishers remain responsive to the present, anticipatory of the future, and faithful to the past as they plan new worship and music resources.

The studies and research, however, are only a part of the complete picture. There are numerous other considerations in planning a new hymnal and other resources. A survey is completed by one individual, but a hymnal is for millions of individuals and thousands of diverse communities. The church includes people of all ages, races, both genders, urban/rural, large and small congregations, and cultural backgrounds. What are the UMC's membership demographics today and what are they projected to be over the next generation? What is the current state of technology and how does that compare with the technological capacity in the local church? What is the right price for a new hymnal that will ensure affordability for those who will purchase and use it as well as the publisher's ability to recoup the hymnal's research, editorial, and production costs and fund future publishing efforts?

The recent surveys, then, are an important tool in planning for the next hymnal, but understanding what worshipers, pastors, and musicians are thinking reveals only part of the picture. With that in mind, here are just a few of the statistics and findings from recent surveys.

• The top three favorites in the current United Methodist Hymnal are "Amazing Grace," "Here I Am, Lord," and "How Great Thou Art."
• The top three favorite hymns from The Faith We Sing are "The Summons," "I'll Fly Away," and "As the Deer."
• The top favorite of under-30 United Methodists is "Be Thou My Vision."
• The number one requested hymn to include in a new hymnal is "Eternal Father, Strong to Save."
• The top three requests to include not now in the United Methodist Hymnal or The Faith We Sing are "Love Lifted Me," "Open the Eyes of My Heart," and "God Bless America."
• The most frequently sung non-Christmas hymns over the past three years are "Amazing Grace," "Great Is Thy Faithfulness," and "Blessed Assurance."
• The most frequently sung songs from The Faith We Sing are "Shine, Jesus, Shine," "Sanctuary," and "They'll Know We Are Christians by Our Love."
• Ten percent of pastors, worship planners, and chief musicians expressed interest in multiple languages in the Psalter.
• Thirty-six percent prefer the Psalter as it is now presented. Twenty-seven percent prefer not to include the chanting. Thirty-eight percent would like to have Psalms set as hymns and songs.
• Seventy-five percent would like to have healing services in the hymnal.
• The least-used worship service in the hymnal is Word and Table IV, unused by thirty-four percent.
• Forty-three percent want more praise choruses in the hymnal; thirty-four percent do not.
• Seventy percent sing the melodies of our hymns; sixty-one percent will sing harmony when it is provided.
• Seventy percent are comfortable using male-only language for God. Twenty-five percent are comfortable using female language for God. Forty-two percent are comfortable using male or female language for God.
• Twenty-eight percent prefer to sing lyrics on a screen. Seventy percent prefer to use a hymnal or songbook.
• Sixty-five percent prefer Wesley texts with their traditional tunes. Thirty-three percent prefer contemporary tunes.

(NOTE: Discipleship Ministries and UMPH boards of directors have proposed to the 2008 General Conference that it is now time to begin production of a new United Methodist hymnal for the USA. Discipleship Ministries directors have also proposed a four-year study into the need and possible publication of an official United Methodist hymnal for African American and Africana congregations. Both hymnal petitions are available on the Discipleship Ministries website. Also see:

• 2004-2007 General Conference Music Study
• New Hymnal Research Report 2007-2008