Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to release the first batch of new songs from the revised hymnbook
SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — The Utah-based Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints announced Monday that the first group of 12 songs from the revised hymnbook will be released in May.
After six years, the process of releasing the new hymnbook, titled “Hymns for Home and Church,” will begin in stages, as groups of hymns will be released every few months until 2026.
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The church said the first group of new hymns will be available online on May 30 in English, Spanish, Portuguese and French. By 2030, the church plans to translate the new hymnbook into as many as 50 languages.
The church said some of the released music will be new to members and others will be familiar, such as “Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing.”
In 2018, the church requested submissions of original songs and feedback on current hymns to begin the process of updating the hymnbook, which has been around since 1985. The church said tens of thousands of people gave their feedback and 17,000 original songs were submitted.
The church says the new hymnbook aims to connect with church members across the globe by making them “more globally relevant” with styles that “are more universally inclusive.”
“We’re now more than ever a worldwide Church,” said Mack Wilburg, music director for The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square. “To be able to share hymns together from the worldwide Church, I think, is a really significant and an exciting thing.”
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The new hymnbook will also include children’s songs, which historically have been separated from the other hymns.
More than 150 people from across the world helped review the current music and select additional songs. The church says they had criteria outlining what reviewers should look for in the music, including increasing faith, teaching core doctrine, inviting joyful singing, comforting the weary and unifying members.
“We are just so excited about the opportunity that a new hymnbook will give us as a Church to become unified, to meet those sacred music goals, and to come closer to our Heavenly Father and worship not only at church but at home every day,” said Steve Schank, chair of the new hymnbook committee.
The church reports more than 2 million church members live in Utah, which has a population of approximately 3.3 million, according to census data. A recent study claims the number of active members in the church comprises about 42% of the Utah population.
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