I have no interest in pushing the whole debate about hymnals versus projection. You know which you prefer. But whatever you are currently using, don’t forget the continuing value of the hymnal.

For those of us who choose and lead hymns, we need to keep at hand a large and varied collection of hymns. Not only is it a useful source, but it challenges us and holds us accountable. When we were compiling the Sing to the Lord hymnal, we sent out a usage survey for its predecessor, the Worship in Song hymnal. We asked worship leaders to tell us how often they had used each hymn in Worship in Song in the past 12 months. Respondents told us over and over again that, having been forced to go through the entire hymnal, they were shocked and disappointed at how few of its riches they had been using.

Without a hymnal to stretch us, we are more likely to take the path of least resistance. We draw from our limited memories and reuse the same familiar hymns again and again. A hymnal disciplines us and draws us deeper into the wealth of wonderful hymns that are always at our disposal.

The hymnal is also a priceless devotional book. When you hold a hymnal, do you know what you have in your hands? It is the world’s greatest treasury of worship and devotion, outside the sacred scriptures themselves. In it you’ll hear the heart of the Psalmist, the faith of the early church fathers, the powerful witness of Martin Luther, John and Charles Wesley, the blind Fanny Crosby, and hundreds of others. Countless believers have sung these hymns and lovingly memorized them, finding them true to scripture and experience. They lived with these hymns and died with them, carefully passing them on to their children. As each generation discarded some hymns and embraced others, the hymns in your hands were chosen and treasured, century after century. What an incredible gift! What a precious legacy has been lovingly placed in our hands by the generations of believers gone before us!

As you look to the future, are you hoping for improvement of projection technology, or are you planning for a hymnal purchase? In either case, it’s helpful to remember the advantages unique to a hymnal. Here is at least a partial list:

• With a hymnal, we can see the music and visually follow it, even if our musical ability is limited. For some of us, trying to sing a melody we can’t see is unnerving.

• Part-singing is a beautiful tradition in the church. Current projection systems will make it extinct.

• With a hymnal, a glance at the page shows us the size and shape of the hymn. As we head into the hymn, we can see where we’re going.

• With a hymnal, we can also look back. If a verse stirs us or puzzles us, we can read it again and ponder it.

• Most hymnals tell us not only who wrote the hymn but when. Readers want to know when and by whom a book is written, and the same information is meaningful to singers.

• A hymnal can go places a projection system cannot. Hymns need to reach beyond our church sanctuaries, and a hymnal helps make that possible.

As we move forward, let’s not leave behind those treasures that are still irreplaceable. No matter how useful our projection systems, a hymnal remains one of those treasures.

This article is reprinted from the book

A Vision for Christian Song,

available as a FREE DOWNLOAD from LNWhymns.com.

Just click here.

© 2008 by Ken Bible, c/o LNWhymns.com.