A New Presbyterian Hymnal

In 2006 the 217th General Assembly of the PC(USA) approved a recommendation for the Presbyterian Publishing Corporation to produce, in conjunction with the Office of Theology and Worship, a new hymnal to be available by 2014.

In October the PPC announced that David Eicher will be the Editor of the new hymnal. A Presbyterian elder, Eicher brings to the project estimable credentials. It appears he will be a fine leader for the project. One wishes the PPC site was more current so we could provide a link to the complete press release.

However not everyone in the denomination sees the need for a new hymnal. Here is a report on some of the conversation surrounding the prospect.

Black Mountain PC(USA) has been using the Presbyterian Hymnal (1990) for quite some time, though many still refer to it as "the new hymnal." We also have in the pews the supplement, "Sing the Faith," which is in actuality the United Methodist "The Faith We Sing" with a blue "Presbyterian" cover. The congregation here has used these books faithfully. "Sing the Faith" is a key resource for music at FirstLight especially.

Has the time come (in 2014) for a new hymnal? Most folks in the know recommend that denominational hymnals change every 20-25 years based on changing tastes in musical preference and in order to capture new developments in hymnology. Plenty of folks have issues with language- and music-related aspects of both our current hymnal and "Sing the Faith." We can hope that the new editorial board will listen carefully to the faithful users of the hymnal as they move forward in development of this vital part of our corporate worship.