MODERN HYMN ARRANGEMENTS

Recently in a conversation with my brother, he mentioned that he had began leading worship for a church and had gotten a great response from a service he had put together because it had a couple of modern hymn arrangements.

It reminded me that hymnody has been a great way of bridging the generational gap that many churches face in a number of ways:

• The older generation might not like the more modern worship music of Bethel, Elevation, or Hillsong but will put up with it if they know they can sing at least one familiar song they know and love each week.
• The hymns may likely be tied to significant spiritual memories for the older generation and can help call those memories into the present. If you are younger you may think back fondly on church camp worship songs (it’s the same thing only for the older generation).
• The younger generation often needs reminding that they are not the first generation of believers but are the inheritors of a faith that reaches back thousands of years and they are mostly likely not the last generation either.
• There are some really great lyrics that make us say things that many contemporary writers are not addressing (ex. “be of sin a double cure, saved from wrath and be made pure”).
• These modern arrangements can be very helpful in transitioning a more traditional church into a different worship style by maintaining some familiarity.

There’s a hundred other reasons to consider using some or more hymnody but there are a ton of articles and blogs that go much more in depth. My intention is to compile a list for those who might not have the time to go hunting for great hymn arrangements or listen to a hundred versions of I Surrender All. These are all versions that I have used in the church families I have been part of and have gone over well.

Some of them are older and some of them are off the beaten track but I recommend you check them all out and support the artists by purchasing their music. I hope this helps and if you have any suggestions make sure to leave a comment below. Thanks for taking the time to drop by.

Two special mentions.

I have been working on making modern acoustic arrangements of hymns so please check them out.

Additionally, I love the work that Nathan Drake has been doing on his Reawaken Hymns projects. Check him out as well.

Looking for Charts for these songs? Try Praisecharts.com

Looking for Loops or Multitracks for these songs? Try LoopCommunity or Multitracks