Book Review

The Sing! Hymnal, Lay-Flat Edition with Chords is a new hymnal from Crossway by Keith and Kristyn Getty. Our church uses this hymnal, so I was interested in trying this edition because my family enjoys playing guitar and singing together at home.

Consisting of more than 1,000 pages, this hymnal offers a lot: 497 hymns, liturgical readings, and hymn histories. Its three major divisions are The Worship Service, The Christian Life, and The Life of Christ. Each is further subdivided into a variety of categories. For instance, The Worship Service includes sections such as Call to Worship, Offertory, Communion, Hymns for Little Children, Christmas, Easter, and more.

At the front are simple instructions for transposing keys to make guitar playing easier. In the back, it includes features you would expect, such as hymn meters, a Scripture index, a topical index, and an index of hymn titles and first lines.

My family really likes this hymnal. It offers a good selection of songs with a nice balance of old and new, includes guitar chords, and is well organized. Our church doesn’t use the liturgical readings, and we haven’t spent much time with them at home, but some readers may find this feature useful. I also would have liked to see a chord chart in the back for quick reference. Most of the chords are pretty common, but casual guitarists may need to look elsewhere when they come across something like a Gm7, Gsus, or Dsus.

The lay-flat, spiral-bound construction is practical, and the overall appearance is attractive enough to leave out on a coffee table. The pages are also easy to read from a distance while playing guitar.

My family has found many songs we enjoy. Five examples include:

• #11 – “Only a Holy God”
• #148 – “Grace”
• #362 – “Jesus Strong and Kind”
• #436 – “A Christian’s Daily Prayer”
• #703 – “Abide with Me”

This is an excellent hymnal that contains songs with rich lyrics and beautiful melodies, making it ideal for both church and home worship.

Purchase on Amazon here.
Purchase on Crossway here.

Special thanks to Crossway for a free review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.