LDS Church releases 15 new additions to revised global hymnbook

SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — The Utah-based Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints added 15 new hymns Thursday in the latest round of additions to its new global hymnbook.

“Hymns—For Home and Church“ was first announced in 2018 when the church requested original music and feedback on current hymns from its members. The first batch of hymns was released in May 2024, and with the latest additions, there are a total of 37 released songs in the new hymnbook. The final version of the hymnbook is expected to have 450 to 500 songs.

Out of the 17,000 original songs submitted by members, several were selected to be included. The church said the 15 songs added this week are “newly submitted music, songs from other Christian faith traditions and hymns that have only been available in a small number of languages before now,” according to a press release.

The names of the hymns are listed below:

• “Close As a Quiet Prayer” 
• “Come, Hear the Word the Lord Has Spoken” 
• “Faith in Every Footstep” 
• “Holy Places” 
• “I Can’t Count Them All” 
• “I Have Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ” 
• “I Know That My Savior Loves Me” 
• “Let Easter Anthems Ring” 
• “Softly and Tenderly Jesus Is Calling” 
• “Standing on the Promises” 
• “Take My Heart and Let It Be Consecrated” 
• “This Little Light of Mine” 
• “To Love Like Thee” 
• “Welcome Home” 
• “Were You There?” 

Kayla Decker, translation manager of the project, said the hymnbook is being revised to connect with a broader audience, saying, “The new global hymnbook will allow more people worldwide to worship and sing sacred music in their own language.”

By 2030, the church plans to release the hymnbook in 50 languages. Similar to the church’s slow release of songs, the hymns are incrementally being translated into other languages using a linguistic process called “transcreation.” This process seeks to not only translate the words directly, but the meaning and traditional context behind them, the press release said.

“The emphasis is on transcreating into the language of people’s hearts and making sure they can access the key messages of the gospel in a way that really, really resonates for them, in a language in a medium that will be truly powerful,” Decker said.

The latest songs will be available online and on the church’s apps within the day.