Sacred Hymnbook to Help Unite, Uplift Latter-day Saints of All Ages Worldwide 

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints currently plans to release “Hymns—for Home and Church” in English, Spanish, Portuguese and French by the end of 2026, with other languages to follow.  

“We are pleased to share an update on the anticipated consolidated music collection,” said Elder Dale G. Renlund of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. “One way God helps us to feel the Spirit and motivate us to live the gospel of Jesus Christ is through sacred music.”  

A Single Resource

“Hymns—for Home and Church,” a sacred music collection of between 450 to 500 hymns and children’s songs, will be available digitally and in print for individuals and families to use at home and at church.

Latter-day Saints traditionally worship as individuals and families at home and as a congregation in Sunday worship services. Rather than the previously announced hymnbook and separate songbook for children, “Hymns—for Home and Church” will be representative of the communal nature of music and worship with hymns and children’s songs together in one collection.  

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“Children will feel that they belong in sacrament meeting when we sing from the inspiring collection of children’s songs that will be included in the new hymnbook,” said Primary General President Susan H. Porter, who serves as an adviser to the hymnbook revision.

Up to 50 total languages will be published by 2030. This means that Latter-day Saint congregations throughout the world will worship with the same consolidated and unified hymnbook, numbered the same across the languages most spoken in the Church.  

Many additional languages in which the Church is still being established will receive a smaller collection of approximately 60 hymns and children’s songs called “Selected Hymns” as soon as reasonably possible.

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Early Release of New Songs

In the meantime, some new songs are planned to be released digitally in small digital batches starting in the first half of 2024. They can be used alongside hymns and songs in the Church’s current published hymnbook and songbook. These will include well-loved music of the Church composed after 1985 (such as “Faith in Every Footstep”), music borrowed from other faiths, and some of the 17,000 new songs submitted by members of the Church. Many, if not all, of these new songs will later be incorporated into “Hymns—for Home and Church.”

“What a blessing ‘Hymns—for Home and Church’ will be for all of us!” said President Porter. “I love the power of the hymns to touch my heart as I sing about the Savior and His gospel of joy.”   

A Multiyear Project  

In June 2018, the Church announced plans to revise its 1985 “Hymns” and 1989 “Children’s Songbook,” along with requesting member feedback about sacred music and calling for member submissions of original hymns, songs and texts. Tens of thousands responded, and more than 17,000 songs were submitted.

The ongoing project is complex. Not only are the hymn and song collections being revised, but in some cases, individual hymns and songs are being revised to make them more globally relevant. Updates will clarify doctrine, replace outdated language where meanings have changed over time, and ensure that lyrics and musical styles are more universally inclusive.

In addition, more than 150 reviewers worldwide have provided detailed evaluations of the 17,000 new song submissions. The hymnbook committee is now giving special consideration to the top several hundred submissions as they finalize their recommendations to Church leaders.   

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When the selection process is complete, the Church music staff will contact those who submitted a new song about the status of their submission. “We want to thank those who submitted music for their patience as we treat every submission with great care and appreciation,” said Steve Schank of the hymnbook committee.

The simultaneous translation of the music collection in so many languages is another important and time-intensive element of the project. To promote unity across the Church, translation teams are ensuring doctrinal clarity and poetic beauty in every language version of “Hymns—for Home and Church.”

“‘Hymns—for Home and Church’ will help deepen conversion to the Lord and His work,” said Elder Renlund. “We pray that it will bless, edify, comfort and cheer you in the coming years.”  

Read more in the Church News New hymnbook seeks to unify members, bring Spirit into homes

“The song of the righteous is a prayer unto our Father in Heaven, ‘and it shall be answered with a blessing upon [your] heads (Doctrine and Covenants 25:12),’” quoted the First Presidency in their invitation to “use the hymns to invite the Spirit of the Lord into our congregations, our homes, and our personal lives. Let us memorize and ponder them, recite and sing them, and partake of their spiritual nourishment” (“First Presidency Preface to Hymns”).  

Related Links       

• Revision Updates
• Committees Thank Members for ‘Overwhelming’ Response to Hymnbook Revision Efforts
• Singers Needed for New Church Hymnbook
• Church Releases Rebuilt Sacred Music App