Fr. Evan Cummings, CSP
Hymns, particularly which ones and which style should be sung, can be a surprisingly hot-button issue in the Church. This can lead many of us from wanting to avoid the discussion and sticking with the “tried and true,” but perhaps “worn-out” hymns. In understanding the role of hymns and hymnography in young adult ministry, it’s important to understand the culture of your parish and the culture of your young adult community within the parish.
Where I serve in New York City, we have a very vibrant music ministry that is sometimes described as “the Broadway Mass.” This serves our community well, and it attracts many young adults, but it can’t be exported and used universally. Now, these kinds of resources aren’t necessarily available to every church community, nor could the culture apply to every parish. And that is the critical part of these discussions, what is the culture of your parish and community? What music speaks to them? The best way to know is, as always, to talk to them.
I have found, and this itself is not universal either, that breaking up hymns into a quadrant like the one below helps to understand the different types of hymns and why they speak to different folks. My two key questions are: “What is the musical style?” “To whom is the hymn directed”
| Directed to us, from God’s perspective | Directed to God | |
| Classic | Psalms (e.g. 20, 50, 78) | Chants, traditional hymns |
| Contemporary | “All are welcome,” action oriented | Praise and Worship |
Just because a hymn has a modern styling doesn’t mean it will appeal to a younger audience. This might be why “praise and worship,” as directed towards God, resonates with many young adults over the modern hymns which are directed at ourselves. It resonates with a craving within the hearts of young adults to focus on God through prayer. This doesn’t mean that the other modern hymns are bad and don’t have their space, but that they don’t resonate in the moment with young adults. Beyond just the style, the content is an important role in this.
While beyond the scope of this article, one major tension around this is generational differences. This model can help to provide a framework for a community-wide discussion around music, its role, and how it resonates with us. Each “style” is valid and has its place, no one should be put above another. Rather, in understanding each type and why it speaks to different folks, the community can better appreciate hymns even if they are not their particular preferred style. And again, none of this can be reduced down to a singular generational style, but it helps in engaging in dialogue around hymns.
