the Gospel Story

The Gospel Story Hymnal is organized and designed first as a beautifully illustrated story book.

This overarching narrative is based on the movements of the gospel:

• Creation
• The Fall/Rebellion
• Redemption
• Already, but Not Yet
• Restoration

Each gospel movement contains a number of subsections, each with a narrative introduction and a collection of hymns and illustrations that support and expound upon the story.

The Hymns

The Gospel Story Hymnal contains 156 hymns and songs. 92 are in the public domain, and 64 are copyrighted. Each hymn is written out with music in a lead sheet style, with the basic melody, lyrics, and chords.

The hymns were chosen to (1) support the gospel story, (2) include songs with a rich history and broad use in the church, and (3) provide resources for worshiping throughout the church year and in various contexts. While most of the hymns meet all three qualifications, we did add a number of newer or less known songs that we felt helped to fill in gaps in the narrative.

A full list of the hymns can be found here.

The Notes

One of our goals is that The Gospel Story Hymnal be a theological resource parents can use to guide their families through the gospel narrative and its application to their lives and worship.

Each hymn has additional commentary regarding its theological importance, word definitions, applicable context information, scripture references, and/or worship notes, all written at an elementary level

The Illustrations

The illustrations in The Gospel Story Hymnal are done with a unique watercolor-papercut technique inspired by Eric Carle’s work. They are bright and beautiful, bringing to life the stories and concepts discussed in the book. All ages will enjoy paging through the hymnal, engaging with the story and songs visually.

There is approximately one illustration for every three hymns, so 60-some total in the book.

The Three-Year Worship Plan

At the end of the book is a Three-Year Worship Plan, outlining a three-year schedule for family or personal worship. Each week’s plan includes a hymn, scripture passage(s), and a suggested theme to consider, coordinating with the blurb associated with that hymn. 

The plan goes through the entire gospel story each year and follows the church year calendar.

The three years’ themes are: (1) The Lamb of God: Our Gospel Story, (2) The Character of God, and (3) Victory in Christ.

The Binding

The book is smyth-sewn with a cloth hardcover, so that it will last for years to come.

The smyth-sewn binding allows for it to lay nearly flat, so it can be used at a piano! 

The cloth finish and foil stamp add a texture and richness to the cover, and the incorporated ribbon-mark ensures you’ll never lose your place.

Please note we are still working out the minute details to make this the best book possible, so the final product may look slightly different than our sample copy.