What Resources Does The Hymn Society Offer for Song Leaders?

The Hymn Society offers song leaders a dedicated resource hub on its website, including a page specifically titled "Resources for Song Leaders," alongside hymn collections, publications and blogs, videos, and research materials. Most of these are listed under the site's Resources menu, and some items — such as journal issues and conference access — are tied to membership or the online store rather than being fully open.

What you'll find under Resources

The site organizes its song-leader material into a few broad categories:

• Resources for Song Leaders — a page explicitly aimed at people who lead congregational singing, listed on the homepage under the heading "Song Leaders At Their Best."
• Hymn Collections — gathered hymn and song collections, including the centennial collection Storehouse of Song.
• Publications & Blogs — including the Journal of Congregational Song and The Stanza.
• Videos — including the Society's introductory video and interview series.
• Research — research-oriented material on congregational song.
• All Resources — a combined index if you'd rather browse everything in one place.

The Canterbury Dictionary of Hymnology

The site also links to The Canterbury Dictionary of Hymnology, a reference work useful when you need background on a hymn's text, tune, or author before introducing it to a congregation.

Publications and the membership boundary

Two recurring publications are named on the site:

Membership benefits listed on the site include free access to the latest issues of both, plus special pricing for the Annual Conference. The site also shows a Member Login and an Online Store, so expect some resources to sit behind a login or a purchase rather than being downloadable directly.

Events and training for song leaders

Beyond static resources, the Society runs an Annual Conference and maintains Conference Archives. It also hosts a Writing the Church's Song retreat — described as a three-day writing retreat for beginner and intermediate hymn writers — which is relevant if your interest as a song leader extends to writing or adapting texts. The 100 Years of Song interview series (a sixth series of nine online interviews with Hymn Society Fellows and leaders) is another way to hear practitioners discuss the study and practice of congregational song.

How to start

1. Go to the site and open the Resources menu.
2. Choose Resources for Song Leaders if you want the most directly relevant page, or All Resources to see the full list.
3. Check Hymn Collections for repertoire, and Publications & Blogs for the journal and The Stanza.
4. If an item requires access, use Member Login or the Online Store — the site does not indicate these are free.

One caveat: the site's own descriptions are brief, so the exact contents of each collection or issue aren't spelled out on the pages summarized here. If you need to know whether a specific hymn or article is included, check the individual resource page or contact the Society through the Contact Us link.