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Lift Every Voice and Sing: Black Christianity Hymnody for the Whole Christian Church

Course Information

Join Donté Ford for an eight-session exploration of the repertoire, tradition, and performance of Black Christian Hymnody across its various traditions. This course seeks to empower the whole church in faithfully singing songs and hymns of the Black Church.
This online class will meet on Mondays from 4:00 to 5:30 pm ET, beginning January 25, 2027 and concluding March 15, 2027.

Our online hymnology courses are designed for pastors, musicians, and church leaders who may not hold formal degrees in church music or theology, or who wish to deepen their understanding of congregational song in the 21st century.

 

More Details & Required Materials

The primary textbook for this couse will be “Black Hymnody: A Hymnological History of the African-American Church” by Jon Michael Spencer.

 

Registration Information

Hymn Society members: $175

Non-members: $225

Pastor-musician teams from the same congregation: $275

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Instructor

Dr. Donté Alexander Ford is a native of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and serves the Wheaton College community as Assistant Professor of Music and Associate Chaplain for Worship Arts. He is an alumnus of Penn State University (BA), Southern Methodist University (MSM, MM, MDiv), and the University of Arizona (PhD) and is best described as a musician, minister, and scholar. At Wheaton, Donté teaches Principles in Music and Worship Ministry, coaches Chapel Bands, oversees the music and worship arts offerings in Chapel worship, and serves as the director of the Worship Arts Certificate.

Donté’s many musical talents have afforded him the opportunity to serve as guest clinician/conductor, lead pianist, opera chorister, resident percussionist, and Minister of Music. His musical activities also include composing (specifically focusing on arrangements of Christian hymns and Negro Spirituals), and in 2019 he won the Brooklyn Youth Chorus Bass Ensemble composer competition. He is the founder and Artistic Director of Sankofa Chorale, a multi-ethnic choral ensemble that preserves and perpetuates African American Choral music while performing that music alongside choral masterworks of the Western European choral canon.

A Christian minister, Donté is a gifted preacher, holding ordination and ministerial credentials in the Holiness-Pentecostal and Baptist traditions, respectively. Though a life-long Pentecostal, Donté is committed to the diversity of the body of Christ. As a scholar, Donté focuses his efforts on the history and preservation of Black American concert and popular music, church hymnody, congregational song, and the history, theology, and music of African American Pentecostalism. His scholarly work includes lectures on African American choral art forms and contributions to the Canterbury Dictionary of Hymnology and UM Discipleship Ministries’ History of Hymns.

 

Course Dates (all times 4:00PM to 5:30PM Eastern)

Monday, January 25, 2027

Monday, February 1, 2027

Monday, February 8, 2027

Monday, February 15, 2027

Monday, February 22, 2027

Monday, March 1, 2027

Monday, March 8, 2027

Monday, March 15, 2027

 

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“It’s a Lot More Complicated than Traditional versus Contemporary”

Course Information

Join C. Michael Hawn, FHS, for an eight-session exploration that challenges the simplistic
“traditional versus contemporary” divide in congregational music. This engaging online course
will meet Wednesdays and Fridays from 3:00 to 5:00 pm ET, beginning January 28 and
concluding February 20.

This course is designed for pastors, musicians, and church leaders who may not hold formal degrees in church music or theology, or who wish to deepen their understanding of congregational song in the 21st century.

More Details & Required Materials

Overview Rather than limiting ourselves to false dichotomies, participants will explore a “streams” model that examines seven distinct traditions that flow through and shape our worship. Each participant will identify the primary streams in their own congregation and develop practical strategies for broadening their community’s sung faith.

Registration Information

    Hymn Society members: $175

    Non-members: $225

    Pastor-musician teams from the same congregation: $275

Click To Register

 

Instructor

The primary instructor will be C. Michael Hawn, FHS.

Michael Hawn is the University Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Church Music, Perkins School of Theology, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, Texas. He is the author of several books related to congregational songs, the USA Editor for the Canterbury Dictionary of Hymnology, and editor of the United Methodist Discipleship Resources site, History of Hymns.

 

Course Dates

Wednesday, January 28, 2026

Friday, January 30, 2026

Wednesday, February 4, 2026

Friday, February 6, 2026

Wednesday, February 11, 2026

Friday, February 13, 2026

Wednesday, February 18, 2026

Friday, February 20, 2026

 

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Course Information

The Center for Congregational Song is sponsoring a eight-session online course on planning hymns and songs for liturgies during January and February 2025. Sessions will be held on Tuesdays and Thursdays from Noon to 1:30 pm ET beginning on January 14 and concluding on February 6, 2025.

This course is intended for pastors, musicians, and others who do not hold church music and/or theology degrees or who may have missed this area of study. Registration will be $175 for members, $225 for non-members, and $275 for a pastor-musician team serving the same congregation.

Required Materials

  1. Sing With Understanding (3rd edition), edited by C. Michael Hawn.
  2. One of the following hymnals, or another denominational hymnal approved in advance by the instructor:
    • Gather (4th Edition, 2016)
    • One Lord, One Faith, One Baptism, (2018)
    • Glory to God: The Presbyterian Hymnal (2013)
    • Celebrating Grace (2010)
    • The Baptist Hymnal(2008)
    • Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006)

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Instructor

The primary instructor will be Jonathan Hehn, OSL.

Jonathan Hehn, OSL, is a musician and liturgist currently serving as Choral Program Director and Organist as well as a Term Assistant Professor of Sacred Music at the University of Notre Dame. He is a brother in the Order of Saint Luke and holds degrees in music (BM, DM) from the Florida State University and theology (MSM, MA) from the University of Notre Dame. Additional time was spent at the Universität Mozarteum in Salzburg, Austria. Jonathan has won prizes in both regional and national competitions in organ performance and remains active as a performer and organ clinician. A scholar in the area of sacred music and liturgy as well, Jonathan has presented at both national and international conferences, and his written work has appeared in Worship, The American Organist, The Hymn, These Days, Call to Worship, Sacramental Life, and other print and online periodicals. He currently edits Doxology, a quarterly, peer-reviewed journal of worship and the sacramental life published by OSL Publications. Jonathan resides in South Bend, Indiana with his wife, three children, and a smattering of pets. A passionate practitioner, writer, and thinker, you can find out what he’s currently up to on Facebook and Instagram.

Course Dates

Tuesday, January 14, 2025

Thursday, January 16, 2025

Tuesday, January 21, 2025

Thursday, January 23, 2025

Tuesday, January 28, 2025

Thursday, January 30, 2025

Tuesday, February 4, 2025

Thursday, February 6, 2025

Course Description

This course will explore the many genres and uses of congregational song among various traditions of Christian worship. Through a mixture of lectures, readings, and seminar-style presentations, students will explore two primary planning strategies for congregational song in the liturgy: a so-called “formative” approach, and a “progressive solemnity” approach. Over the course of eight weeks, students will consider the appropriate balance of these approaches vis-à-vis their own community’s and/or denomination’s liturgical theology, musical tradition, and pastoral need.

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Blogger Brian Hehn is the Director of The Center for Congregational Song.

 

The Original Post

On September 25th, I posted this onto my personal FB wall:

 

My heart aches for my black sisters and brothers for yet another result that denies their basic humanness based on the color of their skin. This is the latest example of both an inherited and perpetuated trauma to our fellow humans and God’s creation. Racism kills in so many ways… #BreonnaTaylor is one of many. May her memory be blessed. While feeling helpless to enact real change in moments like this, the least I can do is re-dedicate myself to working toward being anti-racist and helping others along a similar journey. Now’s not a great time to ask for resources or ideas from your friends of color as they grieve and feel deeply this latest injustice. If you are beginning to work toward anti-racism or want to know what that is, feel free to PM me. I’m certainly not an expert, but I am learning and can point you toward good resources and people to follow.

Soon after, I got a message from a colleague that said this:

Hi Brian, in response to your Facebook post this week, who do you recommend I follow or read to develop an understanding of non-white hymnody, history of worship, and even church history more generally. Any suggestions or starting points would be amazing. Thanks.

Below is my reply, which I hope will be a helpful guide to anyone who is at the beginning of their journey.

 

The Reply

Dear Friend,

Thanks for reaching out.

Below are some resources that I hope will be a good start. If you’re looking for something in particular, let me know and I can be more specific. I don’t know what kind of tradition/piety you are coming from, which means some of these things might not hit the mark for you. It’s a bit all over the place as far as traditions/theologies represented. The important thing is that you’re engaging in this and that we’re here as conversation partners, not as experts! We’re all on a journey and have a lot to learn from each other. We at The Center for Congregational Song are grateful to have met lots of wonderful people along the way who we have learned from and continue to build relationships with.

 

Resources

Free Resources to Read/Watch/Use

Use these resources an entrées into expanding your vision for what God gets to delight in each and every day from Christians around the world. Pick one that sounds interesting, then explore the resources and ideas that they suggest to continue your journey.

 

Books/Resources to Consider Buying

Investing in resources by people of color and citing their work is an important and practical way to live into being anti-racist.

 

Music/Worship Organizations Doing This Kind of Work

For more resources and ideas from folks who are deep into this work, here are some places to continue learning.

 

People/Groups to Follow on Social Media or via their scholarship

Most of these folks don’t pull punches, so be ready! Some of them often speak directly to worship or music-specific topics. Others are not worship-specific teachers, but we are firm believers that good worship leaders must also have training outside of music and worship in order to be faithful leaders.

 

I’m sure I’ve left out a lot of helpful things/people/organizations, but this is what comes to the top of my mind. I hope this helps!

Thanks,

Brian

 

If you know of other worship leaders, scholars, hymnologists, and musician/groups who are actively engaged in teaching worship and anti-racism, please post them in the comments below. Thanks!

 

Resources

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