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Successful MP?

Unless a British Christian of the current generation has been stolidly attending only one church, or one kind of church, for the past 20 years, it is unlikely that he/she will have failed to encounter 'Mission Praise', in one of its many shapes or forms.

The success of this book has been phenomenal; in some congregations it has swept the board, and even in otherwise catholic, reformed, liberal or charismatic assemblies it has crept in at least as an alternative option for Sunday or the week night gathering. How come?

The standard answer is that for once we have a book which hits the right balance between old and new. They all try; MP succeeds. Here is a core of golden oldies in traditional language which rhymes and scans, and a wide selection of songs from the 1970s onwards which don't, but which make churches feel they are up with the times.

Of the fellowships here and there which would support this explanation, one is 20 minutes' walk away. Those who choose the hymns and songs make a point of selecting a balanced menu every time. How they cope with the A-Z arrangement is their problem.

But in my Sunday wanderings of recent years I have realised there is more to it than this. 'Mission Praise' is actually two books in one. I don't mean the half a dozen successive editions between 1983 and 2000. Rather, that these familiar covers contain within two quite different approaches to what we sing. Many churches have discovered only one of these books.

The old . . .

So here at St. John's as its neighbour, Peckham Evangelical Church, they like the book for its old hymns. Maybe for an annual 'Songs of Praise' they daringly venture into the modern sound of 'Abba, Father' or 'A new commandment' (to start on page 1); but their real preference is for 'Abide with me' or 'And can it be'. The old/new split begins quite early.

. . . and the new

But down the road at Camberwell Chapel and nearby St. Jude's, they never notice the classic hymns; or rather, they abandoned them long ago except for weddings and funerals. They will look first for the Graham Kendrick trademarks, then for the next wave of writers to follow him. To speak frankly, even 'Mission Praise' has begun to look slightly faded to those who return from somewhere or other with the latest rhythmic offering performed at top volume on stage.

These churches may still be using half the contents of their hymn books. The others, rather less than half. But has anyone noticed? You might, if you keep a careful record of what is sung.

New editions

So here are the two books; some pick the old hymns, some prefer the modern songs. One snag of successive editions is that each adds to the one before, with no possibility of dropping anything. If there is one thing worse than the dead wood of an old hymn book, it's the dead wood of a new one. Each edition is heavier than its predecessor.

The other drawback is the neglected category of both books. You will find some genuine modern HYMNS in these collections, but not many. I cannot complain about my share; but most of my hymn-writing contemporaries are simply not there at all. Yet it is their work, or the best of it, which will provide the meat and drink of sung worship for the next generation. And if I value real modern hymns, it is not because I write some. I write them because I value them.

If next Sunday you hold a problem in your hands, remember that the remedy is there too.

Christopher Idle

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