Local Preachers’ Group on Hymns and Worship Songs

Notes of meeting held 16th October 2008

Setting the scene

Six local preachers met; three sent apologies.

To start our thinking about criteria for selection of hymns for worship, we had been asked to bring suggestions of (a) a hymn/worship song which we thought would merit inclusion in the new Methodist hymn book currently being compiled and (b) a hymn or song which we would not like to see included.

This provoked lively discussion, and quite broad, though not total, agreement amongst this self-selecting group. Without going into detail here about the individual choices, certain talking points and themes emerged. These included the following (not in any particular order).

Some emerging themes

• Obviously the words do matter – there is a vast range of difference in poetic quality. Looking specifically at modern hymns (including in Hymns and Psalms) and worship songs, some are really beautiful, others are defective in rhythm, rhyme, imagery, theology. And there are some which read well, but do not go well when sung, either because of the music to which they are set or because the words are not really made for singing.
• One particular strand which we all found difficult was those focusing on the atonement, particularly substitutionary/ransom language, often combined with the emphasis on what God has done for me.
• This led to talking about hymns projected on screen. Besides the usual pros and cons, we agreed that one can be ‘ambushed’, in an unknown song, by words which on reflection we would not want to sing.
• Singing the words of a chorus – or indeed, for some, Taize chants – over and over again is, for us, a great turn-off. (And it’s a particular problem where it’s on CD, as there’s no way to call a halt!)
• The words of hymns do gradually acquire meaning for us over the years, so that we have them ‘by heart’. What will offer a similar opportunity to younger people growing up now?
• We need to remember the needs of those for whom reading new words is a very challenging task.
• There are hymns in Hymns and Psalms and its predecessors whose value was and will continue to be for private devotion rather than congregational singing – that should be retained in a new book. This is perhaps particularly true of Charles Wesley.
• More generally, will the proposed number of Charles Wesley hymns in the new book (70 – less than half the present number) be sufficient?
• The quality and singability of the music is vitally important. This is variable in modern worship songs, but always has been (e.g. some of the Victorian hymns).
• One very strong consideration in choice of hymns for particular services is the ability of the organist/pianist to cope with the music – or the provision which is made in the absence of somebody to play. Some of us are more adventurous than others in this respect!
• Generally: obviously one can’t take the simple line “old is bad; new is good”, or vice versa. Both for compilers of a new book and for us in choosing hymns for a service, there needs to be variety – but always, ”quality”. (We didn’t go on to define that!)
• But we can be sure that, like the compilers, we won’t please everybody all the time in our choice of hymns/songs for a service.

Where next?

We felt that there was need to go on thinking about this. Various possible ways ahead were mentioned, e.g. looking in depth at the hymns of a particular author; exploring the criteria we each use in choosing what to have in a service; thinking about the various congregations’ needs in the circuit.

We agreed that for our next meeting we would each bring an order of service for a service we have conducted in the circuit, to talk about what hymns/songs we had chosen with that congregation in mind. That might in turn begin to identify some of the criteria we use, and whether these are shared.

At a future meeting we would also take the opportunity to consider the list of proposed items in the new hymn book which is shortly expected to be issued for consultation.

We meet next at John Summerwill’s on Monday 17th November at 7.30 pm.