What hymnal(s) do you use?

[Dale-c]

What hymnal or hymnals do you use? Also list chorus books and slides/projectors etc.

If you use a projector, do you have printed copies or the hymnal as well?

 

[Dale-c]

We use three sources at our church, the blue Trinity Hymnal (baptist edition) then we have the Word Hymnal, I think ( I need to make sure) then we have chorus books which are also on keynote/powerpoint when we use the projector.

we use all three and we sing a wide variety.

 

[annsni]

We have hymnals and I don't remember what the name of it is because we never use it. ALL of our songs are done by me on the Mac with ProPresenter (most excellent projector software!!).

 

[Tom Bryant]

We use the one that the Apostle Paul used - the Baptist Hymnal!

We use the projector for the words in the more contemporary service and the hymnal for our "All Hymns, All the Time" traditional service. We don't have a chorus book at all.

 

[FR7 Baptist]

We have hymnals and I don't remember what the name of it is because we never use it. ALL of our songs are done by me on the Mac with ProPresenter (most excellent projector software!!).

But with the projector you don't have notes. What if someone wants to sight-read the harmony parts in the hymnal?

 

[pinoybaptist]

We use the Primitive Baptist hymnals.
Shape notes, fasola songbooks.

 

[preachinjesus]

We use a projector and have never purchased hymnals. Saved us some $$$$$ and since we frequently don't use songs commonly found in hymnals it made sense.

Hymnals will be a thing of the past in about fifteen years.

BTW, for the techies out there, we use ProPresenter for all our projection needs. As we have multiple screens and interface our cameras this is a great product. We use ProPresenter in all our worship spaces and environments.

 

[Gregory Perry Sr.]

Sad To See The Hymnals Vanishing

"Hymnals will be a thing of the past in about fifteen years."

Our church added screens a few years back and since then the use of the hymnals has been on the decline. Personally I think this is a shame ( I am unapolegetically "old school") since it is evident by simply looking around that people are LESS engaged in the song service rather than more so. I have also seen or sensed that the younger people are less involved and more unaware of the older,more doctrinally related hymns of the past. The screens comunicate NOTHING of the musical structure of the hymns as they ONLY show the words and not the notes and all you are left with many times is a "song leader" standing there waving his/her arms and not really "leading" anything. As for me (and this is strictly MY opinion)give me the old hymns of the faith and a good,sound hymnal to sing out of. These screens and "powerpoint" presentations may have their appropriate uses but should never replace a well-defined,well-led song service and the ministry of a good,boisterious, male song-leader who teaches the folks about the history of the hymns and leads the singing with some obvious enthusiasm. In many churches the "song service" is just a ho-hum affair or in many places it has become something akin to a ROCK CONCERT. God deliver us from that. Good,Godly christian music should be that which sets the tone and tenor of a true worship service.

Greg Perry Sr.

 

[preachinjesus]

Our church added screens a few years back and since then the use of the hymnals has been on the decline.

As has the purchasing of pipe organs...

Personally I think this is a shame ( I am unapolegetically "old school") since it is evident by simply looking around that people are LESS engaged in the song service rather than more so.

This is interesting because I remember growing up in a church that used, and still uses, two different hymnals in their services. As I noticed from my youth until now people are more engaged and more vocal about singing now than before imho.

Before people would bury their heads in a book singing towards the book. Now they look up and raise their voices. People are bound to hold a book, now they are free to raise hands in worship. (I could go on, but I digress...)

]I have also seen or sensed that the younger people are less involved and more unaware of the older,more doctrinally related hymns of the past.

This is a common point in these conversations, and one I wholeheartedly disagree with. Have you checked out the doctrinal foundations of many of the worship songs coming out. Many are pretty robust.

To our worship pastor's credit, he does pick and choose...for instance we don't use certain weak songs and prefer healthy, doctrinally sound ones.

The screens comunicate NOTHING of the musical structure of the hymns as they ONLY show the words and not the notes and all you are left with many times is a "song leader" standing there waving his/her arms and not really "leading" anything.

How many people in our pews and chairs can read music? How many people in our pews and chairs can read music and know how to sing an A-sharp as opposed to a C or E-flat? Not many I would guess...and all those people are likely in the choir or on the platform

As for me (and this is strictly MY opinion)give me the old hymns of the faith and a good,sound hymnal to sing out of. These screens and "powerpoint" presentations may have their appropriate uses but should never replace a well-defined,well-led song service and the ministry of a good,boisterious, male song-leader who teaches the folks about the history of the hymns and leads the singing with some obvious enthusiasm.

You know just because a church uses screens and doesn't stock physical hymnals in the pews doesn't mean it doesn't use doctrinally rich and even hymnic songs. We frequently use good old hymns alongside fresh new songs (in reality they are both songs/hymns...why do we make that distinction?)

In many churches the "song service" is just a ho-hum affair or in many places it has become something akin to a ROCK CONCERT. God deliver us from that. Good,Godly christian music should be that which sets the tone and tenor of a true worship service.

Some of the most worshipful settings I've ever been in have come from varying environments. Each had its unique place, but all glorified God. I agree that many services can tend towards entertainment, but I've also been in hymnal led services that have tended towards staleness.

The idea here is that all of your points don't apply to every church. There are legitimate means for incorporating rich, diverse, grounded music in various formats using hymnals or screens. Just because we have the one doesn't mean we do away with true worship.

 

[SBCPreacher]

We use the '92 Baptist Hymnal. But, If i were starting a new church, hymnals would be just about the last place I'd spend money.

 

[nodak]

We use (sigh) powerpoint.

I miss the hymnals. I miss the theologically rich songs.

I'm Baptist, not Pentecostal, and do not care for the hands in the air bop to the music get lost in a feeling zen moment worship.

So I'll just ditto Gregory Perry, Sr.

 

[Robert Snow]

I miss the hymnals. I miss the theologically rich songs.

I'm Baptist, not Pentecostal, and do not care for the hands in the air bop to the music get lost in a feeling zen moment worship.

I couldn't have said it better. I miss the hymnals; I guess I'm just too old.

Well, time to go riding my Kawasaki Ninja 650, it'll get my mind off how old i am!

 

[rbell]

100 years from now, folks will bemoan the demise of the "screen."

One does not have to lose the richness of hymnody simply because the books aren't in use.

 

[Revmitchell]

I seriously doubt Hymn books will ever go away completely.

 

[Robert Snow]

100 years from now, folks will bemoan the demise of the "screen."

One does not have to lose the richness of hymnody simply because the books aren't in use.

I know. In fact our church mostly sings hymns, and they print the lyrics in the morning bulletin. I don't think there is anything wrong with this or with using a projection system. But I personally miss opening up the hymnal.

 

[Salty]

We use the one that the Apostle Paul used - the Baptist Hymnal!

Same here - At Faith Baptist we only used the Apostle Paul's Baptist Hymnal, but we made sure it was the KJV! :saint:

Since FBC disbanded, the Lighthouse usually uses the screen (though we did bring all our Hymnals to Lighthouse)
Now that Mrs Salty and I have moved, I will be visiting another SBC tomorrow - will keep you posted.

Salty

 

[Dale-c]

I don't think that hymnals will ever go away, at least not that soon.

However there is no reason why using a screen should keep a church from singing hymns. I have used the screen before to use hymns that were not in the hymnal.

 

[annsni]

But with the projector you don't have notes. What if someone wants to sight-read the harmony parts in the hymnal?

Most people just figure out the harmonies. I sit in the sound booth with two men and two women. One man is the sound man and he doesn't usually sing. The other man is the light guy who is mentally disabled and I don't think I've ever heard him even speak in the 3 years I've been doing the computer. The one woman is my "boss" - the worship coordinator - and she does the computer in the first service and tells the light guy what lights to do. She's also there to be sure everything goes well. The last woman is a woman I'm training. Both of the women sing the most beautiful harmonies and just last week we learned a new song and it took two notes for the trainee to figure out the harmonies and sing them right along with the song.

 

[annsni]

BTW, for the techies out there, we use ProPresenter for all our projection needs. As we have multiple screens and interface our cameras this is a great product. We use ProPresenter in all our worship spaces and environments.

We switched to ProPresenter last year and LOVE it. We're going to finally be buying the upgrade in a few weeks once I get a chance to play with it. We'll be getting a new MacBook for the new church with ProPresenter too since that's what we find to work really well.

Have you done the upgrade yet? I can't wait to try it out!

 

[nodak]

Is there a reason we can't be given the music with the screens?