The following is excerpted from the Church Newsroom. To read the full article, CLICK HERE. 

One year ago, the world received its first glimpse of the new global hymnbook of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints: “Hymns—For Home and Church.”

First announced in June 2018, the ongoing, multiyear project continues to unite Latter-day Saints in musical worship throughout the world.

The First Presidency has directed that the new hymnbook will have around 375 hymns and children’s songs in the print version. This version is expected to be available in English, Spanish, Portuguese and French by mid-2027, with other language translations to follow.

“This is an ambitious and complex project,” said Elder Dale G. Renlund of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. “Because of the importance of sacred music in the Church, the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve have been intimately involved in every aspect of the new hymnbook, including the selection of hymns to be included in the print and digital versions.”

 

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The hymns in the new collection were sourced from both inside and outside the Church of Jesus Christ, with more than 17,000 hymns submitted by individual Latter-day Saints.

Each hymn was selected based on five criteria approved by the First Presidency. The criteria are:

  1. Increase faith in and worship of our Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ.
  2. Teach the core doctrine of the gospel with power and clarity.
  3. Invite joyful singing at home and at church.
  4. Comfort the weary and inspire members to endure in faith.
  5. Unify members throughout the Church.

“Some of the hymns will be less familiar to many members of the Church,” Elder Renlund added. “For this reason, the First Presidency and the Twelve have directed that some hymns be released in advance of the publication of the completed hymnbook. Each hymn has been approved by the First Presidency and the Twelve, and these approvals have not been taken lightly.”

The gradual release began in May 2024 with 13 new hymns published in English, Spanish, Portuguese and French. A media event was held on Thursday, May 30, 2024, when Church leaders introduced the new hymnbook in the Tabernacle in Salt Lake City.

To read the full article, CLICK HERE.