Introducing The Sing! Hymnal

Aren’t hymnals a thing of the past? In our church, although we used to have hymnals under the chairs, for several years now, the lyrics to the hymns we sing are projected on a screen. I wonder if that is the norm for churches these days. After all, how many people can actually read music?
Keith and Kristyn Getty would disagree that hymnals are a thing of the past. They released The Sing! Hymnal today at their 2025 Sing! Getty Music Worship Conference.  Here are a few of the highlights of the project, published by Crossway:

• Timeless: 498 classic and contemporary hymns are carefully curated and beautifully presented in a treasured resource you can carry with you through life.
• Enhance Worship: Featuring 403 liturgical readings, psalms paired with popular hymns, and stories about each hymn, this resource is perfect for church services and group gatherings, as well as private and family worship.

• Contributions by Keith and Kristyn Getty: Award-winning hymn writers of popular songs including “In Christ Alone” and “Christ Our Hope in Life and Death” and the Sing! Hymn Writing Team.
• Voices from Church History: Liturgical readings include quotations from classical and contemporary writers and theologians, including Augustine of Hippo, Francis of Assisi, Martin Luther, John Calvin, John Bunyan, Charles Spurgeon, C. S. Lewis, Billy Graham, J. I. Packer, John Piper, Joni Eareckson Tada, Dane Ortlund, and H. B. Charles Jr.
• Part of the Sing! Hymnal Suite of Resources: Includes a lay-flat edition with chords, designed for easier page turning and reading, along with a website for purchasing and downloading hymn sheet music

The hymns are arranged into three main sections. “The Worship Service” section follows the arc of the gospel in a worship service. “The Christian Life” section equips believers for faithful living and includes hymns for children. “The Life of Christ” section provides hymns for special services throughout the year.

A podcast I listen to each weekday is Things Unseen with Sinclair Ferguson. One of his episodes was titled “Do You Have a Hymnbook?” I would encourage you to listen to the entire episode.
Ferguson tells us that next to a good Bible translation, a concordance, and a decent one-volume commentary, a hymn book is perhaps the most important book you could own. He goes on to state that if your church uses a screen, as mine does, you should buy a hymn book, and he then gives us reasons for why he says that. He tells us that we owe it to our Christian growth to own a hymnal.

I look forward to using The Sing! Hymnal as a part of my personal worship and would encourage you to get a copy as well.