I have just been playing that lovely 'hunt the hymn' game ready for the service a week on Sunday at which we will be rededicating and recomissioning those of our folk directly involved in outreach activities. Naively, I decided to use the subject indexes in Mission Praise and Songs of Fellowship and the contents pages in Baptist Praise and Worship and (shock horror) Baptist Hymnbook to try to find things that fit the theme of mission. Just as well as I had a few ideas up front - it's not a popular heading in newer books.
Mission Praise had an 'evangelism and mission' section in its thematic indexes which included some great mission hymns and songs; the dreaded green book has a section on 'witness and worldwide mission' - including a few treasures that have fallen from favour over the years. The least bad heading in BPW was 'witnessing' and SOF has 'proclamation and evangelism,' though again, each of these include some superb material. Only Common Ground has a thematic entry specifcially titled 'mission.'
What strikes me most is that categorising of hymns and songs seems to have shifted a lot in the last few decades to be very much centred on 'me and Jesus' (or even, in some cases, separate themed sections for 'me and God the Father', 'me and Jesus' and 'me and the Holy Spirit') - yes I know the grammar is bad, but I think it often so ego-centric that the bad grammar is the more honest ordering. The work and purpose of the church has somehow got itself relegated to section D4 or some such.
It will be interesting to see how the next generation of hymn resources (I guess they may not be real, paper books by then) goes about categorising its songs and what that actually says about how the church sees itself.
In the meantime, it is looking as though it will be to golden oldies that I turn, such as this from the Overseas Mission Fellowship: -
Facing a task unfinished,
That drives us to our knees,
A need that, undiminished,
Rebukes our slothful ease.
We who rejoice to know Thee,
Renew before Thy throne
The solemn pledge we owe Thee,
To go and make Thee known.
...
O Father who sustained them,
O Spirit who inspired,
Saviour, whose love constrained them
To toil with zeal untired
From cowardice defend us,
From lethargy awake!
Forth on thine errands send us,
To labour for Thy sake.
Frank Houghton (c) Overseas Missionary Fellowship
And in case you want to use it, it is in Mission Praise Combined (and so, presumably, Complete with or without supplement)
Comments
I often have the same difficulty when looking for specific thematic hymns. At that point I go back to the Green Hymn Book not because it is any better but because I can remember where things were. And the hymns would be grouped together under a theme rather than in alphabetical order. I am not sure which I prefer, thematic or alphabetic. I just wish my church had not swapped BHB for BPW. But then again life is never how we want it.
At the time the "me and Jesus" choruses seemed a necessary corrective to a very dry and depersonalised approach. They still have a place.
But now they've become the dominant cultural form, we need another reformation that has more content and variety of theme and purpose (and better tunes!), though may 19th century hymns were just as formulaic and indistinguishable musically. Personally I still think G Kendrick (although he isn't infallible and can write some really unsingable material for your average congregation) has a range way beyond most other writers - but he's out of fashion and that's part of the problem too, as modern songwriting is so closely wedded to contemporary culture and trends in commercial publishing. Pete Ward's 'Selling Worship' examines how that happened.
I got my congregation to sing Bonhoeffer the other week and I think they appreciated it! (BPW 117)
BPW 117 - wonderful.
Personally, I invest annually in hymnquest (see http://www.stainer.co.uk/hymnquest/) to help me choose hymns/songs. There songs are classified by themes (allowing for multiple themes) and scripture. It is far from infallible but often gives me a start.
Thanks Richard, Andy and Andy,
For the record, I don't mind a bit of 'Jesus and I' singing as part of a wider whole. As Andy J points out, it added something that was missing but now has, it often seems, ousted other useful foci. Whilst not the greatest Kendrick fan, I do admire much of his later stuff (e.g. 'For the Joys and for the Sorrows' ( a 'me and Jesus' special!), 'O Lord the Clouds are Gathering' and 'Beauty for Brokenness'). Any visit to Dibley graveyard will show that in his family tree are folk from round here... Matt Redman and Martin Leckebusche, ( the latter formerly of 'Pentecost Candle Centre' nr Dibley) are also writing some good stuff.
BPW 117 is indeed wonderful, and I recall it being chosen for a 'favourite hymn service' I led in Manchester by someone who had lost two babies - powerful or what?
BPW has some great stuff in it - as do ALL the books I use - it's just that I can't always find it.