This may be a surprising post to some who know me IRL, but yes, I do love both traditional hymns and new styles of worship music. The simple truth is that I just love music in all its forms. I grew up in a home completely filled with sound, as both of my parents were gifted musicians. My dad worked as an on-air DJ when I was younger and also served faithfully as a worship pastor. Meanwhile, my mom was an accomplished pianist and organist who played for churches regularly for decades.
Historically, non-creedal churches have used hymns as a vital way to teach theology and ground believers in the faith. Hymns take a systematic, thoughtful approach to conveying a lesson or telling a rich story. This is precisely why singing all of the verses is such a good practice rather than just skipping to the end. In contrast, modern praise music often focuses intensely on a single theme or topic, or serves primarily as an intimate personal prayer. Both styles hold a deeply valuable and necessary place in our worship lives.
#10 Be Thou My Vision: This ancient Celtic hymn dates all the way back to the 6th century. The profound lyrics, when combined with that hauntingly beautiful melody, never fail to move my soul. My absolute favorite rendition is by Ginny Owens, who is a remarkably talented artist—and, ironically, is blind.
#9 How Great Thou Art: This has always been one of my personal favorites of all time. It was popularized across the United States by George Beverly Shea when he sang it with such power during the historic Billy Graham Crusades. Hearing those swelling notes brings back an incredible sense of awe for God’s creation.
#8 The Heart of Worship: One of my favorite modern hymns is Matt Redman’s The Heart of Worship. This song was born right out of a difficult season of struggle for his church community. The pastor made the bold decision to remove all the technological elements typically associated with modern services—including sound systems, projection screens, the band, and even instruments. What remained was a humbled congregation worshiping God solely with their a cappella voices. During this raw season, Redman wrote a song that calls us back away from performance and right back to the pure essence of true worship.
#7 The Solid Rock: This timeless hymn serves as a wonderful reminder that no matter what storms or trials we face in life, we are secure. If our lives are built firmly on the solid foundation of faith in Christ, nothing can truly shake us. He is our unchanging Rock, and He has promised never to abandon us.
#6 When I Survey the Wondrous Cross: This piece acts as a sobering, beautiful reminder of what Christ so willingly did for us on Calvary. Our absolute best human efforts to be good enough for God fail miserably on their own. It is solely through what Jesus accomplished on the cross that we are given a secure future and a living hope.
#5 In Christ Alone: Written by modern Scottish hymn writers Keith and Kristyn Getty alongside Stuart Townend, this has quickly become a modern signature hymn. Unlike the majority of typical modern worship music, they intentionally write with the depth and structure of traditional hymns. This particular song walks us through the entire story of Christ—from His incarnation and the cross to the resurrection and the glorious hope of His return. Its central, unshakable truth is that Christ alone is our ultimate hope and foundation.
#4 It is Well: Horatio Spafford was a successful Chicago lawyer and real estate investor who was tragically no stranger to heartbreak. His young son passed away from scarlet fever, and shortly after, the catastrophic Great Chicago Fire wiped out all of his real estate investments overnight. A couple of years later, Spafford and his wife Anna planned a much-needed European vacation with their four daughters, though a sudden business emergency prevented him from traveling with them initially. Tragically, on their voyage across the ocean, their ship was involved in a devastating collision with another vessel, and only Anna survived to send her heartbreaking telegram. Spafford later penned the words to It is Well right at the exact spot on the water where the shipwreck had claimed his children.
#3 Victory in Jesus: Gene Bartlett’s popular American hymn holds a massive collection of cherished memories for me. I can still picture singing it at Falls Creek Baptist Assembly alongside 5,000 other young people, as well as watching my great-grandparents play and sing it together at the piano. It is a song that instantly connects me to my roots and my family’s faith heritage.
#2 Amazing Grace: Isaac Newton’s classic hymn remains a pillar of our faith tradition. The raw, heartfelt cry of a former slave trader serves as a staggering, lifelong testimony to the unstoppable power of God’s grace. Every time we sing it, we are reminded that no one is ever too far gone for His redemption.
#1 Come Thou Fount (Warrenton): Rooted in the Sacred Harp tradition, this style uses unique shape notes like Fa-So-La to guide the congregation. Traditionally, in shape note singing, the song is sung through once using Fa-So-La. The leader beats the music in a simple up-down pattern. The singers sit in a square, preferably somewhere with good acoustics, and is sung acapella. If you want to learn more about how this works, you can check out FASOLA.org. This particular American classic holds a deeply tender place in my heart because, back when I was a baby and a small child, my family sang it to me as a comforting lullaby.
