The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints released 10 more hymns for the new global hymnbook, “Hymns for Home and Church” on Thursday, July 23.
This latest release brings the total to 82 new hymns and songs in the new hymnbook in English, Spanish, Portuguese and French. As more new hymns are released, they can be found in the Gospel Library on the Church’s website and the Gospel Library app, and at music.ChurchofJesusChrist.org.
Additional hymns were released Thursday in other languages, including 22 in Armenian and Malagasy; nine in Cebuano, Indonesian, Italian, Samoan and Tongan; and 12 in German, Korean and Tagalog.
These new songs include familiar Christian hymns, some new submissions and some Latter-day Saint favorites with updated lyrics.
For example, “Great Is Thy Faithfulness,” “Fight the Good Fight,” “To God Be the Glory” and “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross” are borrowed from other Christian hymnbooks — some were composed almost 200 years ago.
Meanwhile, “Peace, Peace, Be Still” and “What God Calls Us To” were past Church Music Submission merit award winners.
“Isaiah Said” was published in the Friend in 1998 and helps the teachings of the Old Testament be accessible to children.
“The Miracle” includes a third verse that was written after the song by Shawna Edwards became popular. And “It’s Joyful to Live the Gospel” is a children’s song that aligns with a focus on joy in discipleship.
Elder Patrick Kearon of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles spoke about “Welcome to the Church of Joy” in October 2024 general conference. In response and with direction of the Church leaders, some of the new hymns and songs sound more joyful, said Steve Schank, the Church’s Hymnbook Committee chair, on an episode of the Church News podcast.
“We hope that you’ll sing joyfully now,” Schank said.
In another episode of the Church News podcast, Ryan Eggett, a music manager in the Church’s Priesthood and Family Department, said sacred music has the power to bring the Spirit into homes.
“The entire time that the music is playing — and I hope we understand this — the entire time the music is playing, the gospel is being taught in your home,” he said.
Sharing the gospel can be done in a normal and natural way through hymns and songs, he explained, and sacred music increases faith in and worship of Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ.
Schank said sacred music teaches the gospel in a way that’s easy to understand. He hopes members take to heart what the Lord said in Doctrine and Covenants 25:12 – “The song of the righteous is a prayer unto me, and it shall be answered with a blessing upon their heads.”
The Lord will bless people as they use sacred music in their individual lives, their homes and in their church meetings, Schank promised.
Hanna Saffer, from Sweden, who wrote the new hymn “My Covenants,” is on the Swedish translation team for the new hymnbook. She said a Primary-age son of one of her friends told his mom he had been learning many songs in Primary but never got to sing them. Her friend brought it up in their ward council, and now the ward — and many others around Sweden — are singing more Primary songs, including the new ones, in sacrament meeting more often.
“It just felt so perfect and so right. And I realized, this is exactly what the Church is on its way to doing with this new hymnbook,” Saffer told the Church News. “This is so, so right to have the children feel more included in the ward setting. And I think many adults, like I do, resonate a lot with the children’s music.”
Mateus Rangel, from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, serves as the music coordinator in his Portuguese-speaking ward in Provo, Utah. He said the new Christ-focused hymns also help Rangel select which hymns to sing on Sunday.
“All the hymns are connected to Christ, and this is our main message. This is the purpose we meet every Sunday — to increase our faith in Christ,” Rangel said in a news release on ChurchofJesusChrist.org.
Rangel has felt a change in his family and ward.
“I can see the impact on my family, my kids and my congregation,” he said. “People are more inspired to follow Jesus Christ as they learn [by] singing the new hymns.”
A batch of new hymns is expected to be released later this year and another batch next year in English, Spanish, Portuguese and French, meaning there will be approximately 100 hymns released early — before the full print hymnbook is projected to be launched in late-2027 in those languages. Other language translations will follow.
