The 'Hymns Movement'
What is it?
Modern worship is witnessing a renaissance. Within the now decades-old phenomenon known as “contemporary worship,” a new generation of young people is discovering (perhaps for the first time) the rich heritage of the old worship practices and the ancient song of the Christian church. Diving into the deep waters of Christian hymnody, they are reopening a dusty vault filled with hymn texts long forgotten. As they pilfer the files, they are discovering songs that their hearts long to sing but contemporary worship rarely provides. And they are now bushwhacking an overgrown but once well-trodden path of church music…setting old hymns to new music. They are re-fitting ancient texts into the idioms and expressions of modern folk, pop, and rock music. They are singing these “new hymns” in college gatherings, urban and suburban church plants, student camps, and now even some mainstream established churches. They are producing albums which rival the sonic heights of the more popular worship leaders and artists.
Though many in recent years were doing this prior, the galvanizing force behind this movement is Indelible Grace, a Nashville-based partnership of artists led by Rev. Kevin Twit, a campus minister at Belmont University. Since their self-titled release in 2001, they are now six albums strong and have gained a strong influence and reputation among some mainstream contemporary Christian artists. Another early contributor to the movement was Red Mountain Church, an inner-city community in the heart of Birmingham, AL. Countless other hubs of hymn revival have been rising up and continue to emerge all over the United States; the observation of such can be characterized as nothing less than a grass roots movement.
Who Are We?
Red Mountain Church – Birmingham, AL
Matt Henslee / Fragile Stone – Little Rock, AR
Leah Goslen / Hillcrest Baptist Church - Richmond, CA
City Church – San Francisco, CA
Zac Hicks / Cherry Creek Worship – Denver, CO
Blayne Chastain / St. Patrick Presbyterian Church – Greeley, CO
Cardiphonia Music / Redeemer Presbyterian Church – Indianapolis, IN
Nathan Partain - Indianapolis, IN
Sojourn Community Church – Louisville, KY
Sovereign Grace Music – Gaithersburg, MD
Reformed Praise / David L. Ward - Minnetonka, MN
Christopher Miner – Jackson, MS
Trinity Grace Church - New York, NY
Jeremy Casella - Nashville, TN
Indelible Grace – Nashville, TN
Sandra McCracken – Nashville, TN
Alex Mejias / High Street Hymns – Charlottesville, VA
Ryan James / Coram Deo Church - Bremerton, WA
Rest Assured Hymns - Lakewood, WA
Mars Hill Church – Seattle, WA
Cross Point Church – Seattle, WA
Zadok Wartes / The Opiate Mass - Seattle, WA
BECOME PART OF THE NETWORK: Contact us.
