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SALT LAKE CITY — The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints announced it would be updating its hymn book almost six years ago. Since then, a church committee has been reviewing over 17,000 submissions of original hymns and gathering hymns from across the world.
The church says one song that isn't in its current hymnbook, which was published in 1985, will be back: "Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing."
That popular hymn will be one of 12 included in the first digital release of music for the new book — "Hymns for Home and Church" — next month on May 30 in English, Spanish, Portuguese and French. Every few months over the next two to three years, more digital hymns will be released on the church's updated music app and website "as part of a gradual advanced release" until the new hymnbook is complete.
"There will be one hymnbook for the entire world. There will be music from Germany, or from Spain, from Brazil, from Africa and they'll be translated into all the languages," said Anfissa Smith, a member of the church's hymnbook committee. "How exciting is this work, to have one hymnbook that represents languages from all over the world. It will be unitedly one church."
The church announced the upcoming release of the 12 hymns this week as it prepares for its general conference Saturday and Sunday.
The same plan to gradually release groups of hymns will begin for many other languages over the next two to three years, the church said. The new hymnbook will not include local or language-specific hymns, but those will continue to be available digitally, the church's website says.
Another change previously announced is that the Children's Songbook, used to teach Primary, will be combined with the hymnbook.
Home, church and around the world
"The reason that we provide sacred music for members of the church is to assist them in coming close to the divine, in worshiping their Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ," said Steve Schank, chairman of the new hymnbook committee.
An emphasis of the new hymnbook is that the songs are not just for the chapel, they are meant to be used anywhere. The Church of Jesus Christ said this music initiative, of which the hymnbook is a large part, has five purposes:
- Increase faith in God, Jesus Christ and the Holy Ghost.
- Teach the doctrine with power and clarity.
- Invite "joyful singing" at home and church.
- Comfort and inspire members.
- Unify members throughout the church.
"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," Schank said. "These are the ultimate goals that we hope every Latter-day Saint achieves by using the sacred music of the church in this new collection."
Between 450 and 500 hymns are expected to be included in the new hymnbook, with unified numbers across all languages.
The songs were selected based on their "ability to help people worship," the church said in a video, rather than popularity.
Mack Wilberg, director for the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square, said, "We're now more than ever a worldwide church. And to be able to share hymns together from the worldwide church, I think, is a really significant and an exciting thing."
Since the 1985 hymnbook was published, the church has grown from about 6 million members to 17 million members, with many now living outside of the United States.
General conference
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is holding its general conference this weekend, and the songs performed by the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square and the congregation may give more subtle hints to what the new hymnbook could include.
President Russell M. Nelson posted on Facebook on Thursday about the conference, and said church leaders have thoughtfully prepared their messages.
"I encourage you to view each session, prepared to make note of the spiritual impressions you receive," he said.
President Nelson said, like the last conference, some of the senior church leaders — who are called to serve for the rest of their lives — may speak while sitting down, require help getting to their seats or share pre-recorded messages. However, he said he sees this as "cause for celebration."
"I thank the Lord every day for the privilege of still being here with you. I cherish working alongside colleagues who are wearing out their lives in service to our Heavenly Father and his Son, Jesus Christ, despite the aches and creaks that come with advancing age. I don't have words to express how grateful I am for strong colleagues on whom I can lean in many ways as we strive to serve the Lord," he said.
President Nelson said he is almost 100, and his body reminds him to go easy on it.
As Temple Square remains under construction, attendance at general conference continues to be limited below the Conference Center's capacity. This general conference, attendance will be limited to 18,000 people per session, 3,000 less than its capacity.
A standby line will be available again at the Tabernacle to allow some people without a ticket to attend the conference in person.
KSL.com will be streaming the five sessions of general conference Saturday and Sunday live and posting summaries of each of the talks. The sessions will also be broadcast on KSL-TV, Ch. 5, and KSL NewsRadio (102.7 FM and 1160 AM).
Other aspects of hymnbook initiative
The church has also updated its music app and website. On the website, members now have a matching layout of music collections with an improved search feature, and a better listening interface. The app allows members to print music and change the key and tempo.
"These music channel improvements help prepare for the gradual release of newly selected music," a church statement said.
It is not just the hymns in the hymnbook on that website, but other music resources for special musical numbers, ward choirs and aspiring musicians to use.
Like the future hymnbook, the website is geared toward members around the world and is already available in 66 languages. The church said the current music efforts will increase what is offered in other languages, including sheet music and audio recordings.
The Sacred Music App now has music submitted by members that can be used in worship services as musical numbers. It has new functions for creating playlists, and sharing or printing songs, the church said. The app has over 5,000 songs in English, and more songs in over 50 other languages.
Elder Isaac K. Morrison, a general authority seventy, said in Monday's statement that sacred music is composed in order to enhance worship services in the home and at church, uplift members and bring them closer to God.
"The uplifting and reverent nature of these hymns creates an atmosphere conducive to spiritual communion," he said.
The updates to the app and website have a goal to make accessing the music, both at home and at church, more intuitive.
It's not just the Sacred Music App that has gone through recent changes, the Gospel Library App now can display which hymns are in the program ahead of sacrament meeting to help members prepare ahead of time, and find those hymns more easily.
