Short Guides
Bulletin 250 Volume 18 No5 January 2007
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Hymn Society of Great Britain and Ireland
Bulletin 254 Volume 18 No9 January 2008
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Hymn Society of Great Britain and Ireland
Short Guide No 2: What Types of Hymns and Songs are Available?
Once, it was “hymns”. In recent years, many churches have adopted “worship songs” – sometimes alongside hymns, sometimes instead. Inevitably,…
Hymn Society of Great Britain and Ireland
Short Guide No 3: Which Hymns and Songs Should we Use?
Have you been asked to put together a worship service, such as a Sunday morning or evening church service? Then…
Hymn Society of Great Britain and Ireland
Short Guide No 4: Which Hymn Belongs Where in the Service?
Some hymns are obviously ill-suited to certain services, or to certain parts of a service. It would make little sense…
Hymn Society of Great Britain and Ireland
Short Guide No 6: What Makes A Good Hymn?
Answering this question inevitably contains a subjective element: a hymn which one person finds comforting can seem mawkish to someone…
Hymn Society of Great Britain and Ireland
Short Guide No 7: What are the Best Places to Find Hymns on Specific Subjects?
Hymns for worship usually follow a general pattern, either being necessary at a particular place in the liturgy or, in…
Hymn Society of Great Britain and Ireland
Short Guide No 8: How Can We Use the Psalms in Worship?
The Psalter is Scripture’s own hymn book; its contents speak to a vast range of human emotions and experiences. Therefore…
Hymn Society of Great Britain and Ireland
Short Guide No 10: What are the Pastoral Considerations when Using Hymns?
The pastoral use of hymns covers both the occasional offices of the church – baptism, weddings and funerals – but…
Hymn Society of Great Britain and Ireland
Short Guide No 11: Using Hymns With Holy Communion
“The Holy Communion” is generally recognised as the distinctive act of Christian worship, arising as it does from the actions…
Hymn Society of Great Britain and Ireland
Short Guide No 13: Using Hymns in All-Age Worship
Some services are designated as ‘all-age’. What does this imply? Ideally, all worship should be suitable for everyone in a…
Hymn Society of Great Britain and Ireland
Short Guide No 14: Building a Hymn Repertoire
Even with a single hymn book, a typical congregation probably has more hymns at their disposal than they can realistically…
Hymn Society of Great Britain and Ireland
Short Guide No 17: What are the Arguments For and Against Revising Hymn Texts?
‘Nothing changes here’ or ‘All the changing scenes’? Why would we ever ‘revise’ the words of familiar hymns? We do…
Hymn Society of Great Britain and Ireland
Short Guide No 21: Wedding Hymns
Many couples still choose to marry in church, yet the combined impact of more choice and the increasing lack of…
Hymn Society of Great Britain and Ireland
Short Guide No 22: Funeral Hymns
Christian funerals take place either in a church or at a crematorium or cemetery chapel. While the circumstances are different…
Hymn Society of Great Britain and Ireland
Short Guide No 23: Baptism Hymns
Baptism can occur in different contexts and at different stages in life, yet the fundamental spiritual and ecclesiological purpose and…
Hymn Society of Great Britain and Ireland
Short Guide No 24: Confirmation Hymns
‘Confirmation’ covers various approaches to Christian initiation and commitment. When adults make a commitment and are received into membership of…
Hymn Society of Great Britain and Ireland
Short Guide No 25: Ordination and Commissioning Hymns
Ordinations and commissioning services happen in a variety of contexts, and are a cause of great celebration and spiritual power.…
Hymn Society of Great Britain and Ireland
Short Guide No 26: Myths about Hymns
Here are half a dozen ideas about hymnody which may – or may not – contain a grain of truth…
Hymn Society of Great Britain and Ireland
Short Guide No 27: Hymns and Ministry to Those with Dementia
Ministering to people who have reached that stage of life when ‘mind and memory flee’ presents serious challenges which cannot…
Hymn Society of Great Britain and Ireland
Bulletin 301 Volume 22 No8 Autumn 2019
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Hymn Society of Great Britain and Ireland
Short Guide No 29: Finding Out About Hymns
This topic can be addressed from various angles such as hymns in general, specific hymns and the use of hymns…
Hymn Society of Great Britain and Ireland
Short Guide 30 Presenting and Responding to Hymns
Hymns form a significant element of much worship. Although spontaneous singing can occur, most hymn singing is planned in advance.…