The #1 question we are asked in John Mark Ministries’
church consultations: how can oldies/trads and youth/progressives
worship appropriately/enjoyably in the same context?

Short answer: they can’t, without a lot of creative
hard work. Reason: pre-TV and post-TV people belong to different
cultures. (See the article TV or not TV? on our homepage).

So if the young peoples’ (YP’s) songs are to be ‘enjoyed’
by older people, and vice-versa with the oldies’ hymns, pastors
and worship leaders had better know how to plan a worship-experience
that is mutually enriching for both groups. (I’m assuming for
this article there are two groups: actually there are more. YP
can be divided into literate/sophisticated and less-literate etc.).

Can YP worship ‘with heart and mind’ while singing
old-fashioned hymns? The answer is ‘yes’, provided

(a) the words of the hymn are put into their historical
and theological/biblical context (‘Amazing Grace’ should never
– or hardly ever – be sung without some reference to John Newton’s
life. Similarly with ‘Who would true valour see’ and John Bunyan);

(b) the hymn is sung to a tune which appeals to the
young (‘What a Friend We Have in Jesus’ to ‘The Rose’ or ‘The
Carnival is Over’ is one example); and

(c) the band can put an interesting beat to the tune,
or accompany it with suitable instruments (for example brass with
‘Crown Him with Many Crowns’). Assumption here: the days of organ-only,
or even organ-plus-piano/keyboard for accompanying congregational
singing are finished, or almost finished. (Which raises the question:
what do you do in a small or rural church without talented musicians?
Good question, to which I’ll address another article).

Now, given the above, what hymns have I noticed YP
enjoying, in churches of many denominations, in all continents?
Here’s my list:

God is our strength and refuge (tune ‘Dambusters’)

Lord’s Prayer to Kumbaya
Great is Your Faithfulness (modernized
words)
Spirit of the Living God (later version by ?)
When I survey
(various tunes: sung a capella it’s beautiful)
When the roll is
called up yonder (less appealing to Anglicans/Episcopalians!)

How Great Thou Art (some modernized versions, with a beat)
Amazing
Grace
Crown Him with many crowns
Jesus loves me (tell the Karl
Barth/Billy Graham story + ‘best adult hymn written in the last
150 years’!)
What a Friend (various tunes)
And Can it Be (but
explain the theology)
When peace like a river (tell the story)

All to Jesus I surrender; Just as I am; Softly and tenderly (introduce
these appropriately so that they’re not just for evangelistic
contexts)
Old Rugged Cross
Holy holy holy (give it a good beat
+ a theological explanation)
O sacred head (one or two stanzas
a capella: better in Anglican/ Episcopal settings than Pentecostal
🙂
My hope is built (put some brass into the band; there’s also
a new jazzed version)
Saviour I heard thy voice gently say
My
Jesus as thou wilt (to the Weber tune)
Angels we have heard on
high (favorite Christmas carol: needs brass)
Here I am Lord (St
Jouis Jesuits)
Joyful joyful we adore thee (syncopated/contemporary
arrangement)
Because he lives, I can face tomorrow…
Consecration
song (Take my life; various tunes)
At the Name of Jesus

Some favorites among more modern songs:

Faithful
One, so unchanging (Vineyard),
Thank you Lord (For all that you’ve
done I will thank you – #1 in Australia across churches at the
moment);
As the deer pants;
God and God alone;
Wonderful grace
that gives what I don’t deserve;
Here I am, wholly available (sung
as a vesper);
Power of your love (#1 in Australia over the last
few years);
My Jesus, my saviour, Lord there is none like you;

I give you all the honour… I worship you;
O Lord you’re beautiful;

Purify my heart;
Worthy of my days;
He’ll bring us through by
his power/love/grace;
Brother/sister let me serve you (was Brother
let me be your servant: sing inclusive version);

Please don’t email me with specifics re the above:
I get 50+ emails a day and won’t be able to answer. However, I’d
appreciate your additions/subtractions to this list…