Compiling a church songbook scheme

Many Churches now have their own supplementary song or hymn book and
the following may help you in compiling your own book.

Firstly - do you have a Church Copyright Licence? If not you need to get one
and  a visit to our Copyright Issues web page will be of help to you.

There are a number of questions to think through as you start to develop your own book:

What is the purpose of the book?

   To supplement material currently available
   To make songs used in Sunday School more
      accessible to the congregation
   To expand the Church's repertoire of music
   To save acquiring a host of song books with
      inevitable duplication of content.

When will the book be used?

   At every service
   Occasionally
   When the children are present
   At special services.

What types of songs or hymns will it contain?

   Worship songs
   Hymns that do not appear in Hymns and Psalms
   Iona and/or Taize material
   Songs written by people from the local church
   Songs for children.

How will the songs be chosen?

   Invite the congregation to submit suggestions
   Consult people who sometimes attend worship
       at otherchurches.
   Visit "Big Events" to find out currently popular
      new songs
   Look at books compiled by other churches.
   A word of advice - take time to select the material
   as practicable before finalising the list.
   This part of the process may take up to 6 months!

In what format will the book be presented?

    A4 or A5 size, portrait or landscape
   Stapled (maximum of 16 to 18 sheets)
   Comb bound, spiral bound or loose leaf
   How will the book be prepared?
   Type the lyrics for all the songs
   Carefully check each one for mistakes
   Decide how to organise the book - alphabetically,
      related sections or topics, seasons etc.
   Set up a page and song format, font style and size,
      columns to be used etc., and put the book
      together using a DTP package
   Check that you have copyright permission for all the contents
   Make an index
   Write an introduction, which must contain
      the Copyright Licence number
   Design a cover for the book
   Get several people to proof read it for mistakes.

Other Issues

   Who will print it
   How many copies do you need
   What will it cost
   Who will pay for it
   Is the music for all the songs readily available in one
   place for all your musicians to use or do you have to
   produce a music version
   Do you need to make files for a video projector or
    acetates for use on an overhead projector
   How will you make visiting preachers aware of the
  contents of the book

Variety in hymns and songs helps so much with worship and the development of a local supplementary song/hymn book is well worth all the effort.

We hope these summaries help you when you get down to producing your book. If you think we haven't covered all the relevant areas, contact our Secretary/Development Officer on john.baileymcms@btinternet.com and tell him what else we should include.