Choosing hymns
Four hymns, four different jobs. Choosing them in the right order makes the whole thing take ten minutes.
The usual failure is treating all four hymns as the same problem — four slots, find four hymns that mention the Gospel. They are not the same problem. Each sits at a different point in the service and does a different job.
What each hymn is for
| Slot | Job | Choose for |
|---|---|---|
| Opening | Gets eighty people singing together | Confidence and familiarity above all. This is the wrong place to teach a new tune. |
| Gradual | Sits between the readings | The readings themselves. This is where a genuinely apt hymn does its work. |
| Offertory | Covers the preparation of the table | Length — it has a job to fill. Offering, thanksgiving, self-giving. |
| Communion / Final | Sends people out | Something they leave humming. The last thing sung is the thing remembered. |
The order to choose in
- Start with the gradual. Read the Gospel, then find the hymn that speaks to it. This is the only slot where the readings should really drive the choice, so give it the effort.
- Then the final hymn. What do you want them singing in the car park? Usually the season answers this, not the readings.
- Then the opening. Something everybody knows. Check it is not in the same key or metre as the gradual.
- Offertory last, filling the gap in tone and in length.
The practical checks
- Does your congregation know it? One unfamiliar hymn per service is a stretch; two is a silent congregation.
- Is the tune in a singable key? Anything above D at the top loses most of the room.
- Have you sung it in the last six weeks? Keep a list. Everyone thinks they will remember; nobody does.
- Does the season allow it? No Alleluias in Lent — which rules out more Easter hymns than people expect.
- Has the organist seen it? By Thursday, not Saturday.
Where to look
Most hymn books have a lectionary or scriptural index at the back, and it is better than its reputation. Beyond that, several long-running free resources index hymns against the Revised Common Lectionary, and are worth knowing about.
Questions
How do you choose hymns for the lectionary readings?
Start with the gradual hymn, chosen for the Gospel; then the final hymn, chosen for the season and for what people leave singing; then the opening, which needs to be familiar above all; then the offertory, chosen to fill the time and match the tone.
How many unfamiliar hymns should be in one service?
One at most. Two unfamiliar hymns in the same service usually means a congregation that stops singing.