The way technology is used in the church has changed dramatically since the last Presbyterian hymnal was published in 1990. With the upcoming release of the new Presbyterian hymnal in 2013, Presbyterian Publishing Corporation (PPC) is thinking creatively about how to best utilize new technology to meet the needs of the church.
Currently PPC is developing plans for two electronic editions of the hymnal that will both be released in the fall of 2013:
- a presentation edition that will contain files for projecting the words of the hymnal,
- an online edition.
The online hymnal will allow for searching through all of the hymnal indexes and will have features like
- audio files for listening to hymn melodies,
- saving notes for favorite hymns,
- viewing and downloading hymnal words and music images, when rights allow.
The online edition will also contain the worship and liturgical resources and orders of service included in the pew edition.
The possibilities for the online hymnal are constrained by what rights we are able to obtain from the individuals and organizations that hold the rights for the text and music for the hymns to be included in Glory to God. While the possibilities for technology are (seemingly) endless, PPC is faced with the reality that some rightsholders will not allow permission for some of the features we would want to include in an online hymnal.
So stay tuned! As we get closer to the publication of Glory to God in the fall of 2013, more and more details about the electronic editions will be released, including pricing and features. In the meantime, keep sharing your feedback and ideas with us.
