Frequently Asked Questions
With Tom Fettke, Senior Editor of The Celebration Hymnal™
| Q. | Why does the church need a new hymnal? |
| A. | Because
there has never been a hymnal before that effectively merges the old
and the new. Today, there are so many churches that want to keep their
foundation of hymns and gospel songs, but at the same time want to
branch out and use vital new styles of music and new methods of effective
worship. They need a hymnal that helps them do that.
It
was about fifteen years ago that praise and worship music really
began to emerge. Out of this movement, a multitude of songs have
become standards in the evangelical church, but until now, there
has been no music resource that provided these songs on the page
along with the more traditional music churches also want to sing.
Having these newer songs included in a hymnal is recognition that
these songs have become a vital part of how the church worships
as we approach the 21st century. |
| Q. | What do churches want today in a hymnal that is unique to our time? |
| A. | Churches
today want to be able to incorporate a diversity of styles of music
into the worship service. They want the solidity and foundation of
the old, coupled with the vitality that the new brings. They want
to be able to follow four-part harmony which they can't do from words
on a screen. They are also looking for more creative ways to bring
scripture into the worship process beyond the simple responsive reading.
No longer do worship leaders want to stand at the front and call out
song numbers. They want a hymnal that helps them create a flow to
the worship time, moving from one style to another or from spoken
to sung praise with smooth transitions. |
| Q. | How would you define "blended worship" and how common is it in churches today? |
| A. | Blended
worship is the use of a variety of styles of music from a variety
of musical eras, from Bach to up-tempo praise and worship songs. It
includes other arts as well, such as drama, liturgical dance and fine
art. The key to blended worship is the inclusion of instruments, fusing
scripture between songs, using soloists and ensembles as part of congregational
songs, and combining the old and the new in an effective way.
In
nearly every denomination there is a movement toward blended worship-or
at least a desire for it. It is very common that the minister of
music and the pastor want to create an atmosphere of blended worship,
but they lack the knowledge and the tools necessary to achieve a
positive result. That is where The Celebration Hymnal™ has
so much to offer. It provides the resources necessary for worship
leaders to achieve blended worship. |
| Q. | What are the most significant changes in how churches incorporate music into worship over the past ten to twenty years? |
| A. | The
most significant change I have seen is extended musical worship times.
Churches today do not want to sing five verses of a hymn and then
sit down. They want to use more structured worship sequences, a concept
which we pioneered in The Hymnal for Worship & Celebration in
1986.
The
other most significant change I've seen in the past ten years or
so is the emergence of praise teams and ensembles as leaders of
worship in addition to the choir. Congregational singing in churches
today is a true means of communicating with God. It is not a rote
experience or a performance, but actually communication with God
the Father and Jesus the Son in a way that leads to a more intimate
relationship between man and deity. |
| Q. | How does The Celebration Hymnal™ differ from various denominational hymnals? |
| A. | In
addition to having a better balance of old and new and a multiplicity
of creative devices, The Celebration Hymnal™ has a much more
creative approach to the use of Scripture than I find in most denominational
hymnals. In too many hymnals, Scripture is placed on a page because
the engraver needs to fill the empty space, and the Scriptures are
simple readings or responsive readings.
The Scripture included in The Celebration Hymnal™ has a purpose, and is vital to the worship needs of the congregation. Scripture Readings are designed to be used in a number of different ways, some as a reading by the leader, some read by the leader and one or more dramatists, some with chanted phrases read by the congregation. Another
unique difference in The Celebration Hymnal™ is that it is
very family oriented. Too many hymnals are designed only for adults.
In The Celebration Hymnal™, consideration is given to youth
and children to provide selections that are vital to them, and to
provide opportunities for them to lead the congregation. |
| Q. | Why do you say this is a hymnal "for the people"? |
| A. | Everything
about The Celebration Hymnal™ was created and chosen to lead
the common man in the pew to a more effective relationship with God.
Nothing was selected on the basis of artistic or literary worth, or
to please hymnologists. It is not a historical archive or an educational
tool. I enjoy those aspects of hymnody too, but this book is designed
to meet the needs of people in the pew and provide them with the most
usable collection of songs they want to sing. |
| Q. | How did you go about selecting what songs would be included? |
| A. | We
used a voting process whereby a diverse group of 27 ministers of music,
pastors, advisors and consultants rated hundreds and hundreds of songs.
We made our final determinations based on textual integrity, musical
interest, and universal usage by the evangelical church of today.
In putting together our list, we made sure we considered the top 200
songs used by CCLI license-holders and probably 175 of them appear
in The Celebration Hymnal™. |