One question I often hear from fellow conservative pastors and other Christians is, “When are you going to publish a hymnal?”
It’s true that, although there are several good hymnals available, there isn’t any one hymnal that satisfies the needs of some churches like those in the Conservative Christian Network, especially since purchasing multiple hymnals is such a significant investment for a church.
For these reasons, at a recent meeting of Religious Affections Ministries leadership and other conservative Christian friends, we decided to do something to help with this need, but we need your help.
Religious Affections Ministries plans to publish a free resource for churches to download and print free hymns in a professional format for use in their church orders of worship or even to create their own customized hymnal. We figure that since many churches today print their own hymnal supplements and don’t necessarily want to invest in new hymnals, this would be a good way to help make available professionally produced hymns for free.
We plan to begin with 250 classic hymns and build from there. Each hymn will cost approximately $35 to typeset and format.
If we had 45 churches/individuals willing to donate $200 toward this project, we could fully fund it. In essence, you’d be purchasing a quality, conservative hymnal for a single investment. After it is produced, you’ll be able to print any of the hymns you’d like.
Click here for a tentative list of initial hymns.
We will also publish a hard copy version of the hymnal for those who do wish to have something in the pew.
Would you help us make this resource a reality? You can use the form below to donate, and any individuals who donate may receive a tax deduction as well.
About Scott Aniol
Scott Aniol is the founder and Executive Director of Religious Affections Ministries. He is director of doctoral worship studies at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, where he teaches courses in ministry, worship, hymnology, aesthetics, culture, and philosophy. He is the author of Worship in Song: A Biblical Approach to Music and Worship, Sound Worship: A Guide to Making Musical Choices in a Noisy World, and By the Waters of Babylon: Worship in a Post-Christian Culture, and speaks around the country in churches and conferences. He is an elder in his church in Fort Worth, TX where he resides with his wife and four children. Views posted here are his own and not necessarily those of his employer.
