Two Alabama Baptists recently explored LifeWay Worship’s The Worship Project, the next-generation hymnal that will fuse traditional and modern ways of worship.
Wes Haley and Guy Anderson have experienced the new tool and will soon be helping Keith Hibbs, director of the office of worship leadership and church music for the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions, with training sessions across the state.
The first facet of the project is a new hardback Baptist Hymnal, replacing the 1991 version. Not only does the new hymnal combine traditional hymns and contemporary worship songs but it also includes songs in vocal-friendly keys, responsive readings numbered in line with the music and accompaniment editions called WorshipCharts.
Hibbs said the new hymnal is overdue.
“Songs from five to 10 years ago that were contemporary are now considered worship standards,” he said. “There is something about codifying them in a hymnal that makes that even more viable.”
But Hibbs said traditional hymns are still a vital part of the hymnal, giving the book the same solid theology that Southern Baptists have come to enjoy.
And Haley, music minister of First Baptist Church, Pleasant Grove, in Birmingham Baptist Association, said he has already witnessed how the new hymnal has transcended generations.
“The other day, a college student picked up a copy and went wild. He couldn’t believe how many worship songs were included. Senior adults have done the same thing because of the amount of hymns included,” Haley said.
“This will be a multigenerational hymnal that will unite the generations and meet everybody’s needs.”
The Worship Project will also meet the music minister’s needs with an online digital hymnal, which is the second component of the project.
By using the tools on LifeWayWorship.com, worship leaders can research and plan services with WorshipCharts; WorshipTracks, which provide full vocal demonstrations as well as accompaniment; and WorshipMedia, which are products to assist with presentation needs such as a PowerPoint DVD with text presentations for hymns. Leaders can even customize songs by utilizing the new SongMap application.
“One of the best features I saw in the demonstration was the SongMap tool,” said Anderson, music minister of Elkdale Baptist Church, Selma, in Selma Baptist Association. “It’s a quicker way to put medleys and related songs together instead of pulling down several songs and comparing themes and keys.”
Although the hardback and digital hymnals are two separate entities, they are meant to complement each other. In fact, the digital hymnal features more than 300 songs that are not included in the hardback version, and LifeWay plans to add more songs every year.
“It’s supposed to be a hymnal with no back cover,” Anderson said. “You can continue to expand it, and that’s what they’re doing with the Web.”
Over the next several months, LifeWay will unveil The Worship Project throughout the United States and offer training for worship leaders like the sessions with Hibbs, Haley and Anderson.
Hibbs said he’s excited to see the project in action. “It’s phenomenal. It really is. If it does half of what they say it will, then it’s going to revolutionize worship planning.”
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