I can’t remember sorry, there were quite a few. We use the mission praise hymn book, but probably havent ever sung more than a third of them.

Here are some basic chords I’ve put together for some well known hymns. Comments and ammendments are welcome.

(G) When I sur- | (G) vey | (C) the wonderous | (G) cross |

On which the | (Em) prince | (C) of glory | (D) died |

My richest | (G) gain | (C) I count but | (G) loss |

(Em) And pour cont- | (G) empt | (D) on all my | (G) pride | (D)

(G) A- | (G) mazing | Grace, how | (C) sweet the | (G) sound

That | saved a | (Em) wretch like | (D) me |

I | (G) once was | (G) lost but | (C) now am | (G) found

Was | (Em) blind but | (D) now I | (G) see |

(A) O Lord my | (A) God | when I in | (D) awesome wonder |

Consider | (A) all the | (A) works thy (E) hand has | (A) made |

I see the | (A) stars, | (A) I hear the | (D) rolling thunder |

Your power through- | (A) out the | (A) uni- (E) verse dis- | (A) played |

Then sings my | (A) soul, my | (D) saviour God to | (A) thee |

How great thou | (E) art, | how great thou | (A) art |

Then sings my | (A) soul, my | (D) saviour God to | (A) thee |

How great thou | (E) art, how | (D) great (E) thou | (A) art |

(D) Be Thou my | (A) vision, O | (G) Lord of my | (D) heart; |

(A) Naught be all | else to me, | (G) save that Thou | (A) art. |

(G) Thou my best | thought, by | (A) day or by | (G) night, |

(D) Waking or | (G) sleeping, Thy | (A) presence my | (D) light. |

(G) God has spoken | (D) by His prophets, |

(G) Spoken His un- | (D) changing Word, |

(G) Each from age to | (D) age proclaiming |

(G) God, the one, the | (D) righteous (G) Lord. |

(D) Mid the (G) world’s des- | (D) pair and (G) turmoil, |

(D) One firm (G) anchor | (Em) holding (D) fast; |

(G) God is King, His | (D) throne eternal, |

(G) God the first, and | (D) God the (G) last. |

Dannii said : We use the mission praise hymn book

The other week, the service leader for the day opted out of using the DVDs with subtitled lyrics, and chose to use the Koorong “Mission Praise” CD - to sing along with the words on the overhead screen. However, we soon found out that what was being sung was a non-matching version of what we have on the screen/printed music book.

On the CD, verses were omitted and suddenly the chorus was being re-sung.... and confusion reigned - over all four selected hymns throughout the service. The overhead operator was in a total spin trying to keep up and understand what was happening. ( I doubt we’ll be using that CD again soon. ) On the good news side, someone had done a swap with me and taken my place on the audio desk for that service - so It wasn’t me that got dizzy that day. But everyone seemed to enjoy the experience - at least everyone was smiling and laughing about it over morning tea.

Thanks for the efforts that you have put into this post Craig - especially for supplying the basic chords.

On a lighter note, I came upon this and wondered if it could be added to a list of ‘very,very basic songs’ :

“Jesus is my friend”

It’s from ‘Sonseed’, allegedly a 1980s Christian band. ( There is speculation that it is a fake band - but who knows or cares. )

However, I particularly enjoyed the truthfulness contained within the lyrics :

“He is like a mountie - He always gets His man
And He’ll zap you anyway He can “

and ‘Jesus loves me when I’m writing silly songs’. 

Cheers, Kevin

Peter Hawkes - 19 September 2008 12:18 PM

When planting a church, you must employ a professional worship music leader at least part-time, even if it means having to raise additional funds. We wouldn’t plant a church without a preacher so why plant a church without a worship music leader? To me its like having half of the pieces in place.  I have a suspicion that many of us believe our key evangelical tool in church is the preaching and we underestimate the importance and the power that music plays as an evangelical tool. 

Some posters in this thread seem to have forgotten that most ‘preachers’ do a few other roles besides just preach.

What would a paid vocalist/guitarist do when I ask him to run a funeral or conduct a wedding for me?

Another one bites the dust?

David Clarke - 23 September 2008 03:47 PM

Peter Hawkes - 19 September 2008 12:18 PM

When planting a church, you must employ a professional worship music leader at least part-time, even if it means having to raise additional funds. We wouldn’t plant a church without a preacher so why plant a church without a worship music leader? To me its like having half of the pieces in place.  I have a suspicion that many of us believe our key evangelical tool in church is the preaching and we underestimate the importance and the power that music plays as an evangelical tool. 

Some posters in this thread seem to have forgotten that most ‘preachers’ do a few other roles besides just preach.

What would a paid vocalist/guitarist do when I ask him to run a funeral or conduct a wedding for me?

David,

To be fair to Peter, he did say ‘part-time’. I’m sure that he meant that the music leader be employed only for the time that they were involved in the music side of things. You could be employed (and paid) only for the time that you were involved in the preaching side of things. Then you wouldn’t have to run the funeral, or conduct the wedding, either.

Cheers,
Andrew

Ok, I’ve created a site where I’ve put up good guitar chords for hymns. There are only a handful of hymns up there at the moment, but I will expand it in future -

http://guitarchordsforhymns.wordpress.com/

David Maegraith - 23 September 2008 04:29 PM

Another one bites the dust?

My cheeky bass player mate played this at my wedding...:~}

Craig Schwarze - 13 October 2008 12:46 PM

Ok, I’ve created a site where I’ve put up good guitar chords for hymns. There are only a handful of hymns up there at the moment, but I will expand it in future -

http://guitarchordsforhymns.wordpress.com/

If I recall correctly, and I can’t check at the moment, the Australian Presbyterian hymn book Rejoice! has guitar chords for most hymns in the book.

You may want to check it.

Cheers,
Andrew

Andrew, most of the chord charts I’ve seen to hymns have been really poorly done. They are in bad keys for guitars, they use too many obscure chords, and they have too many chord changes. I’m doing this to put together some sensible chord charts.

Hi Craig,

I’m not a guitarist, so I can’t comment on the suitability or otherwise. I just recall someone in a previous church saying that they weren’t bad.

I’m not criticising you for doing this. I’m offering the suggestion of Rejoice! as a resource that you may like to check to help you with what you’re doing.

Cheers,
Andrew

The Source song books contain numerous hymns, all of which have chords.  I’m a keyboard player so I can’t comment on their suitability for guitar, but they are generally true to the hymn music which is very helpful—especially if you have guitar AND keyboard!

David Maegraith - 18 September 2008 01:22 PM

with due respect, I think you have your syd ang blinkers on Craig. To ensure survival of a church plant these days, surely the music must be good? If so, a budget line must be added for at least a part-time music leader - I’m talking a good singer/guitarist for example who can lead 20 people in worship honouring to God

I think this is a good and valid point, but there are 2 things that I’d like to challenge respectfully.

1. I’d not use the term ‘ensure survival of a church’ when advocating good music. Good music is great, but the church survives by the grace of God and the work of his Spirit. In Revelation 2, we see that the church in Smyrna was poverty-stricken and persecuted fiercly, but that the key to survival was simply faithfulness to the gospel.

2. Also, to ‘lead people in worship’ is often used to mean ‘lead them in singing Christian songs’ (as you have used it). The idea that worship=singing is both widespread and thoroughly unbiblical. Worship is an all-of-life obedient service to God (Romans 12:1-2), and in the NT, the purpose of singing psalms hymns and spiritual songs is so that Christians may let the Word of Christ dwell among them richly (Col 3:16-17). Nowhere in the NT is worship equated directly with singing. Even the elders bowing down before the throne in Revelation are said to Worship AND sing/speak (Rev 4:10-11, 5:8-9), rather than worship BY singing. No doubt, those who wosrhip God in spirit and in truth will sing his praises, but they do so BECAUSE they worship, not IN ORDER to worship.

If the person who leads the congregation in singing is called a ‘worship leader’, then to be consistent, the person who sweeps up after church should also be called the ‘worship leader’ - they’re obediently serving God to the benefit of others.

For this reason, Craig, I would omit ‘Here I am to worship’ from the list. I don’t actually think there’s anything wrong with asserting that singing Christian songs constitutes a part of Christian worship, but given how widespread and accepted the unbiblical view that singing=worship is, I’d do all I can to stop perpetuating it.

For this reason, Craig, I would omit ‘Here I am to worship’ from the list. I don’t actually think there’s anything wrong with asserting that singing Christian songs constitutes a part of Christian worship, but given how widespread and accepted the unbiblical view that singing=worship is, I’d do all I can to stop perpetuating it.

I just feel that is going too far in the opposite direction.

I’ve just caught up with this thread, and I’m interested in some of the comments by David M and Peter H.  If this is not taking us too far off thread, I’d be keen to hear your scriptural basis for (apparently) equating leading the music in church to preaching the word.  I am a musician myself and LOVE good music, but I’ve never placed it in the same category as preaching.  Can you hep me out here?
Bob