There are changes to some of the hymns in our new Book of Praise. Changes in church music are not new. When King David wrote his Psalms, it is unlikely that they were known tunes. King Solomon added more than 1,000 songs. During the Reformation John Calvin continued to change the tunes of the Psalms (first he composed some himself, and later used professionals). Luther introduced many new hymns, and new music was composed by church musicians for several centuries.
We did not get 1,000 new songs, like the Israelites in the time of Solomon, but only 2 new tunes and about 8 changes. Although we don't know how Solomon introduced his songs, we know that King David had professional musicians working in the service of the Lord.
So, what do we do with our relatively small changes in our own congregations? Some suggestions were made in the workshop handout. One example is that the minister makes a brief comment about a change, when he announces the hymn. Here is an example how that happens in Langley:
It is important that the minister and church council realize the importance of the congregational singing and that attention is needed for proper introduction of the change.
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