Before the service starts on Sunday morning at San Diego Reformed Church, the building fills with the sound of singing. Sean Kinnally, an associate pastor, leads a 45-minute Psalm-sing so the congregation can practice reading music together and using printed hymnals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe\u2019re seeking to add more and more hymns\u2014it\u2019s a more robust form of worship,\u201d Kinnally said. \u201cThere has been incalculable growth in the singing at our church.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
San Diego Reformed is in the process of shifting its worship toward hymnal-aided congregational singing. The congregation is part of what appears to be a growing number of churches working to recover the practice\u2014never entirely lost, but not as popular as it used to be\u2014of singing from books.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hymnals offer perceived permanence and stability in a musical landscape that changes\u00a0quickly and often<\/a>. The decision to reintroduce congregations to hymnals is often an ideological one, especially for churches that made the transition\u00a0away\u00a0<\/em>from them in recent decades.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Read it all<\/a>.<\/p> A number of churches are choosing the printed page over lyrics projected onto a screen.
\u201cHymnals offer perceived permanence and stability in a musical landscape that changes quickly and often,\u201d said Dan Kreider, the composer of the \u201cSing! Hymnal.\u201dhttps:\/\/t.co\/MfajqRkS5w<\/a><\/p>— Christianity Today (@CTmagazine) October 20, 2024<\/a><\/blockquote>