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SALT LAKE CITY — The first batch of songs from the new global hymnbook of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was released in four languages on Thursday.
As the hymnbook expands, so does the idea of "what a hymn can be," said Primary General President Susan H. Porter.
The 13 new songs come from a variety of places — some are children's songs, some are hymns from other Christian traditions, some are newly translated into English. The church hopes all of them will help congregations build faith in Jesus Christ and feel God's love.
The 1985 hymnbook in use needed an update to reflect the Church's growing global membership. The new hymnbook, "Hymns — For Home and Church," will be available in English, Spanish, French and Portuguese by the end of 2026. By 2030, it will be in 50 languages.
"No matter where you live in the world, we will have the same hymns, same songs, same page numbers," said Elder Isaac K. Morrison, a general authority seventy.
Some hymns popular in other languages — like "Star Bright" in Spanish or "He Is Born, the Divine Christ Child" in French — will be available in English for the first time.
"Hymns — For Home and Church" will not only unite church members across the world, it will also unite them across age groups, President Porter said. Hymns and children's songs will be bundled into one hymnbook — which means adult members will get to sing Primary, or cihldren's songs, in sacrament meeting. About one third of the hymnbook will be children's songs and two thirds will be hymns.
All of this means musical accompaniment could look a little different. The church recommends using the organ or piano for congregational singing, but the guitar might also become part of worship services. Vocal, piano and guitar recordings will be available online for each new song.
The church anticipates members will begin singing and playing the 13 new songs immediately, President Porter said. Luckily, many members will recognize at least a handful of the songs. Longtime favorites like "Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing," "It Is Well With My Soul" and "What Child Is This?" are included.
A new training video in the church's online media library can assist members with music assignments as they include new music in worship services.
And the hymns aren't just for chapels — church leaders want to emphasize the "home" in "Hymns — For Home and Church." They hope members are singing hymns in their own homes any time.
For Elder Michael T. Ringwood, who serves as executive director of the priesthood and family department, hymns aren't just a chance to learn doctrine — they're also an opportunity to express and feel joy.
"I'm grateful for hymns," he said. "Some of my greatest and profound moments as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have come during the singing of hymns."
It seems a lot of church members are grateful for hymns. When the church put out a call for submissions in 2018, it got 17,000 original hymns written by members.
Committees of men and women across the world evaluated each of the submissions, which were ultimately approved by the church's First Presidency. Some committees specialized in lyric analysis, and others focused on music.
Part of the "miracle" of the new hymnbook, President Porter said, is the thought of members who prayed, fasted and studied scriptures to write those songs.
The church will notify submitters if their song was selected at the end of the project, when the print edition of the hymnbook is done.
Members of the church can expect another batch of songs to be released in the fall. To listen to the new hymns, visit this page.
