MODERN HYMN ARRANGEMENTS
In a recent conversation with my brother, he mentioned that he had begun leading worship for a church. He had received a great response from a service he organized because it had a couple of modern hymn arrangements.
It reminded me that hymnody has been a great way of bridging the generational gap that many churches face. There are many reasons for this.
The older generation might not prefer the more modern worship music of Bethel, Elevation, or Hillsong, but will put up with it if they know they can sing at least one familiar song each week that they know and love.
The hymns may likely be tied to significant spiritual memories for the older generation and can help call those memories into the present. If you are younger, you may think back fondly on church camp worship songs. It’s the same thing as the older generation is experiencing when thinking about the old hymns.
The younger generation often needs reminding that they are not the first generation of believers, but are the inheritors of a faith that reaches back thousands of years. Most likely, they are not the last generation of believers either.
There are some really great lyrics in older hymns that make us say things that many contemporary writers are not addressing. For example, “Be of sin a double cure, saved from wrath and be made pure”.
By maintaining some familiarity, these modern arrangements can be very helpful in transitioning a more traditional church into a different worship style.
There are a hundred other reasons to consider using some or more hymnody, but there are a ton of articles and blogs that go much more in depth than I will do here. My intention is to compile a list for those who might not have the time to go hunting for great hymn arrangements or can’t listen to a hundred versions of “I Surrender All”. These are all versions that I have used in the church families I have been part of and have been received well.
Some of them are older and some of them are off the beaten track, but I recommend you check them all out and support the artists by purchasing their music. I hope this helps your process, and if you have any suggestions, make sure to leave a comment below. Thanks for taking the time to drop by.
Two special mentions.
I have been working on making modern acoustic arrangements of hymns so please check them out.
Additionally, I love the work that Nathan Drake has been doing on his Reawaken Hymns projects. Check him out as well.
Looking for charts for these songs? Try Praisecharts.com
Looking for loops or multitracks for these songs? Try LoopCommunity or Multitracks
