Poll Ranks Hymns’ Popularity

A committee working on a new United Methodist hymnal and worship book says a churchwide survey finds two hymns are runaway favorites: “How Great Thou Art” and “Amazing Grace.”

In third place is early Methodist leader Charles Wesley’s “O for a Thousand Tongues to Sing.”

Others in the top 10 are “The Old Rugged Cross,” “Blessed Assurance,” “Holy, Holy, Holy,” “What a Friend We Have in Jesus,” “All Hail the Power,” “In the Garden,” and Martin Luther’s “The Church’s One Foundation.”

Noting that the findings indicate many people want hymns to remain familiar, the Rev. Carlton R. Young, editor of the new hymnal, said such hymns “represent the memory and community in a way other styles don’t.”

“It is not the doctrine of these hymns so much as it is the feeling behind them, and that is important,” he said.