This post may contain affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission from purchased products at no additional cost to you. See my full disclosure here.
Did you know you have a treasure chest of untapped potential full of rich, Christian heritage, and packed with powerful theology and doctrine which could bring people in your congregation into a closer walk with Christ?
If you’ve been looking for a way to lead the congregation of your church into deeper, more intimate worship and encourage stronger discipleship, then look no further than your church hymnal!
Yes, it’s true! Don’t get me wrong, I love contemporary worship music. Growing up in church, I’ve literally experienced all the changing styles of music from my church’s red back hymnal, to Bill and Gloria Gaither-type worship choruses, to Carmen concerts, to Christian radio, to contemporary praise and worship bands! All of it is full of the word of Christ. All of it helped me to grow in my faith.
Of course, as a young person, I was drawn to contemporary music that reflected the style of the day. However, since I’ve grown and matured in my faith, I appreciate the immense value and worth available to us in traditional hymns.
Before you start the journey of incorporating traditional music into your worship service, it’s important to find out what scripture instructs us to do, why hymns are such an integral part of Church history, and what you can gain from them.
At least twice in the New Testament, Paul instructs the believers in the churches of Ephesus and Colossae to sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to each other.
Singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, and making music to the Lord in your hearts.
Ephesians 5:19
Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts.
Colossians 3:16
The History Behind These Spiritual Songs
According to Britannica.com, a hymn is “a song used in Christian worship, usually sung by the congregation, and characteristically having a metrical strophic (stanzaic), nonbiblical text.” In addition, “Christian hymnody derives from singing psalms in the Hebrew temple. The earliest fully preserved text (c. 200 CE or earlier) is the Greek ‘Phos hilarion’.”
In describing the differences between psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, the Worship Initiative’s Tad Daniels states “We can gather that hymns are, unlike psalms, not written by divine inspiration of the Holy Spirit. However, the hymns we should sing are filled with Scriptural truth and sound doctrine. Hymns are a fantastic outlet for doctrine to be recited and proclaimed.”
So, in other words, hymns go way back to the days of Hebrews singing psalms and have been used throughout history to declare who God is. Some other characteristics of traditional hymns include:
- Being sung by the entire congregation together.
- Verses (sometimes a lot of verses!!) and a refrain or chorus that are repeated after every verse.
- Verses that are structured with the rhyme and meter of a poem.
- Filled with doctrine and truth, hymns have been used to teach and instruct.
- Inspiration and encouragement for people in their life in Christ.
- Found in every culture.
Looking At Traditional Hymns Through The Lens Of Church History
Hymns have been an important part of worship in every culture. From “A Mighty Fortress” by Germany’s Martin Luther, to “Amazing Grace” by England’s John Newton. From music inspired by Africans in slave ships, to American poet and composer, Frannie Crosby, who wrote over 8,000 hymns in her lifetime, and so many more writers and songs too numerous to name, traditional hymns have been the bedrock of our faith for hundreds and hundreds of years. It’s not an understatement, then, to say that hymns have played a significant role in the life of the Church throughout history.
Growing up in the ’70s and ’80s, I have fond memories of singing from the hymnal in the congregation and the choir. I remember a sense of pride when the song leader or music director would call out the number to the hymnal selection, and I knew exactly what song it was! I remember feeling excited when one of my favorite hymns was called out.
Even though those hymnals might be tucked away, the songs themselves still hold for us a great benefit. This treasure chest, this wealth of inspiration, this rich history of our faith is available to you to bring your church into a deeper, more powerful worship of our indescribable God!
Why Are The Classic Hymns Important Now?
The same traditional hymns that taught, encouraged, and held Christians steadfast through persecution, starting new lives on the frontier, or spreading the Gospel in countries across the globe are available to you today for the same kind of teaching and inspiration! Despite the great differences in our culture and the way we live compared to Christians of the past, the timelessness of Christian hymns is found in the following ways:
- They teach the truth of who God is.
- They remind us of what God has done for us.
- They help us express the joys and sorrows of this earthly life.
- They replenish the hope of the glorious eternity that awaits us.
No matter what century or decade we live in, the human experience is the same and so is the use of hymns when we incorporate them into our worship!
Popular Hymns And The Meaning Behind Them
Some great examples include:
How Great Thou Art written by Carl Boberg in 1885
Oh Lord, my God
When I, in awesome wonder
Consider all the worlds Thy hands have made
I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder
Thy power throughout the universe displayed
This reminds us of the truth of who God is.
Old Rugged Cross written by George Bennard 1912
On a hill far away stood an old rugged cross
The emblem of suffering and shame
And I love that old cross where the dearest and best
For a world of lost sinners was slain.
This reminds us of what God has done for us.
Come Thou Fount was written by Robert Robinson in 1758
Prone to wander, Lord I feel it
Prone to leave the God I love
Here’s my heart, oh take and seal it
Seal it for Thy courts above
This reminds us of the joys and sorrows of this earthly life.
On Christ the Solid Rock I Stand was written by Edward Mote in 1834
When He shall come with trumpet sound
Oh, may I then in Him be found
Dressed in His righteousness alone
Faultless to stand before the throne
This reminds us of the hope of the glorious eternity that awaits us.
We have so much to learn from these heroes of the faith who’ve gone before us, and we can take up the mantle to move these popular hymns forward into the future so that they continue to make an impact in the world today!
Build Hymns into Your Worship Service
How can you build traditional hymns into worship within your congregation?
First of all, it’s completely okay to pause and recognize the struggle that some people may have with hymns. If you take the time to reflect on why they may struggle, then you can put things into place to help remove those barriers.
Some barriers might include things like the language and vocabulary of the lyrics. Communication today is vastly different from 50, 100, or 200 years ago! Some concepts in hymns are simply not familiar to people today. When we find creative ways to define words and explain concepts, then the beautiful pictures these popular hymns create become more relatable and meaningful.
Another barrier might be the singability of the song. Some Christian hymns are difficult to sing with high soprano notes or complicated harmonies. If it’s difficult to sing, the unfamiliar congregant may not connect with the song.
5 Ways To Help Congregants Experience Hymns In A Fresh Way
1. Allow the congregation to hear and experience the song before they are invited to sing it.
- Use the song as an offertory or special music.
- Play the song before the service as people are entering and getting settled.
- Use social media to your advantage by posting graphics with the lyrics or links to a playlist so they can listen during the week.
2. When it’s time for the congregation to sing the hymn, take a minute or two to introduce the song in a creative way.
- Another idea is to share the story behind the song. So many great traditional hymns have amazing and powerful stories behind how they were written.
- Find a video or article about the history of the song to share on your social media. When people hear the backstory, they will connect with the song more easily!
3. Find or create a new and reinvented arrangement of a classic hymn that incorporates the style of music and singability that is familiar at your church.
Some excellent examples would be:
- Amazing Grace (My Chains are Gone) by Chris Tomlin
- Cornerstone by Hillsong
- It Is Well by Bethel Music
- Drenched in Love by Bethel Music
What I love about the new arrangements of traditional hymns is they take the verses of the hymns and then add a chorus or refrain that is singable and worshipful like in Cornerstone. Or, the verses are completely new, but they use a chorus or bridge from a classic hymn. Both styles breathe fresh life into a song while at the same time grounding it with phrases people may know.
4. Get your worship team or music ministry team on board.
- Use some of your time together in practice to study the lyrics.
- Take some time together to have a devotion or reflection on the truth in the song or the scriptural basis of the song.
- Having your team understand what the song means will help them to sing and play the song with authenticity and conviction which will also build community in the team!
5. Take it slow!
In my experience, we introduce too many new songs to a congregation at a time. Non-musical people don’t pick up on new music as quickly as musical people. Once they hear the song, sing it once or twice, then they’ll be more able to engage in actual worship during the song. Really, that’s your ultimate goal, right?
You don’t want them to sing the song, you want them to experience God through the song! So, give them a few extra weeks of singing it before you move on to another song! I believe your congregation will thank you!
Effective Worship With Traditional Hymns Is Possible
With these few intentional steps like introducing the song, sharing the story behind the song, teaching the lyrics of the song, and so on, incorporating traditional hymns into your worship service is possible! The rich treasure and substantial heritage found in these songs of the past will deepen and enrich the quality of your worship services and the congregation’s connection to God as they worship. Imagine the possibilities of people growing deeper in theology and doctrine while also growing in how they relate to God and how God relates to them!
This lasting transformation is what we long for in our churches and what we hope to achieve as humble servants in our ministries. Turning traditional hymns from old to new is a powerful way to accomplish just that!
Read More:
