Putting a song in a hymnal does not assure it will be sung. Indeed, one reason churches appoint committees to revise their collections is to eliminate those that have lost favor, and add the new. They tacitly admitted changes in theology were a factor when the Presbyterians dropped "Onward Christian Soldiers" and the "Battle Hymn of the Republic" because of their militaristic imagery. [1]
Competing demands on denominations almost guaranteed some songs would be ignored. Since the Vatican reforms of 1963, the order of service and liturgical style have become variable. There are congregations that hold two services every Sunday, one with a choir and one with a praise band. Recent collections addressed the differences with quantity. The 1989 Methodist hymnal had 690, the 1990 Presbyterian book had 605, and the 2012 Presbyterian 853. [2]
A number of congregations publish programs for their meetings that include the hymns to be sung, often with page numbers. These page references are the simplest clue that a hymnal is used, and with the Presbyterians, which of the recent editions.
A survey of bulletins posted to the internet done on 10–11 August 2018 indicated the two denominations with hymnals that included "Kumbaya" were the most likely to have the congregation sing it. [3] 85% of the 66 Methodist churches gave a page reference, while 79% of the 38 Presbyterians did. Two-thirds of the bulletins were published in the past three years; the earliest two were from 2008. [4]
The table below indicates other denominations sang "Kumbaya," even if it was not in a hymnal. Some published lyrics in the bulletin, some included inserts, and some probably projected the music on a big screen. Since the song was known, still others may not have needed to provide any formal cues.
The survey suggested some regional preferences. "Kumbaya" most often was sung in the Atlantic states from New York to Virginia, in the South, and in the Midwest. Otherwise, it was more popular in Canada than any other section of this country. [5]
The absence of songs from the West Coast may only reflect a greater openness to technology in the service or a greater awareness of the ecological impact of paper programs. Churches elsewhere in the country might have produced bulletins, but did not post them on the web, either because an internet provider wasn’t available or because they eschewed such publicity.
The same caveats apply to denominations. No non-denominational Protestant church posted a bulletin with "Kumbaya" sung by the congregation. Since many of those congregations were large and technically savvy, I suspect most use projectors rather than photocopiers to communicate. The West Erwin Church of Christ in Tyler, Texas, was the only such church to mention it. It sang hymn 986 after a sermon on "The God of Relationships." [6]
No Baptist congregation associated with the Southern Baptist Convention mentioned "Kumbaya" in an on-line bulletin. The three Baptist churches in North Carolina and Virginia [7] were connected to the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship that withdrew from the SBC over the latter’s refusal to ordain women. [8] The other three [9] were affiliated with the American Baptist Church that traced its history back to Roger Williams in Rhode Island. [10]
Of these churches, Saint John’s Baptist Church in Charlotte, North Carolina, and University Baptist in Charlottesville, Virginia, mentioned the Methodist tune "Desmond." The First Baptist Church in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania used the Presbyterian hymn number. Central Baptist Church in Jamestown, Rhode Island and First Baptist Church in Tyron, North Carolina included the words with their bulletins. Only the Genesee Baptist Church in Rochester, New York, listed just the title.
The other congregations that sang "Kumbaya" included three with roots in German musical traditions: Lutherans, Brethren, and Mennonites. The United Church of Christ groups in the Midwest probably once were Brethren, while the ones in New England most likely were Congregational. Methodists, of course, also included a number of former Evangelical United Brethren churches.
Disciples of Christ maintained ties with the Presbyterians from whom they broke in the nineteenth century. [11] The Westminster Press offered an ecumenical version of its hymnal that had a neutral cover for an identical collection of songs for such congregations. [12]
The remaining congregations that sang "Kumbaya" were Unitarians in Detroit, [13] and Metropolitan Community Churches in Houston and Tampa. [14] Both denominations were known for their liberal theology. The Metropolitan church was especially open to gays of all sorts. [15]
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New England included Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and New Hampshire. Other states in the area did not have bulletins.
The Atlantic region included New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and Washington DC.
The Midwest region included Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Minnesota, and Iowa.
The South included Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas, and everything to the east.
The Plains included Oklahoma, Kansas, and South Dakota. Other states in the area did not have bulletins.
Other included New Mexico, Arizona, and California. Other states in the area did not have bulletins.
End Notes
1. "Presbyterians Omit ‘Warlike’ Hymns Other Lyrics Revised for New Songbook." Washington Post. 15 July 1989. Its source was Melva Costen, who chaired the revision committee for the Presbyterians. The article implied Methodists had considered dropping the two songs, but the response was so negative they were maintained.
2. Details on the Methodist hymnal appeared in the post for 14 February 2019. The Presbyterian hymnals were mentioned in the post for 17 February 2019. The Presbyterians only numbered texts that were accompanied by music. The Methodists included, and numbered, canticles, responses, recitations, and one to three measure settings. I eliminated those from my total.
3. I excluded churches where "Kumbaya" was sung by a choir, played by the organist, or performed by some other vocal or musical group.
4. Mentions of "Kumbaya" by year in Sunday church bulletins.
5. I didn’t classify Canadian churches by denomination. Five were affiliated with the United Church that merged Methodists and Presbyterians in 1925, [16] three were Knox Presbyterians, and one a closely related Disciples of Christ. The one Baptist church was affiliated with the Canadian Baptists of Ontario and Quebec, that did not support Fundamentalism in the 1920s. [17] The other congregation was Anglican.
6. West Erwin Church of Christ in Tyler, Texas, 4 February 2018. The sermon was given by Bill Allen. I could not associate song or page 986 with any hymnal or song collection.
7. First Baptist Church of Tryon, North Carolina, 28 September 2014; Saint John’s Baptist Church of Charlotte, North Carolina, 2 April 2017, and University Baptist Church of Charlottesville, Virginia, 20 October 2013.
8. Wikipedia. "Cooperative Baptist Fellowship."
9. First Baptist Church of Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, 26 April 2015; Genesee Baptist Church of Rochester, New York, 11 February 2018, and Central Baptist Church of Jamestown, Rhode Island, 8 May 2016.
10. Wikipedia. "American Baptist Churches USA."
11. Wikipedia. "Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)."
12. The Presbyterian Church website advised: "The Presbyterian version is Glory to God: The Presbyterian Hymnal and will be stamped with the PC(USA) seal on the spine. The ecumenical version is Glory to God: Hymns, Songs, and Spiritual Songs and will not have the seal. The contents of both editions are identical."
13. First Unitarian-Universalist Church of Detroit, Michigan, 12 February 2012.
14. Resurrection Metropolitan Community Church of Houston, Texas, 13 March 2011, and Metropolitan Community Church of Tampa, Florida, 25 February 2018.
15. Wikipedia. "Metropolitan Community Church."
16. Wikipedia. "United Church of Canada."
17. Wikipedia. "Canadian Baptists of Ontario and Quebec."
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