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The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has announced the addition of 15 new hymns to its global collection, "Hymns—For Home and Church." These songs were made available on February 13, 2025, in the online Music Library, Gospel Library, and Sacred Music app in English, Spanish, Portuguese, and French.
The new hymns include titles such as “Close As a Quiet Prayer,” “Come, Hear the Word the Lord Has Spoken,” “Faith in Every Footstep,” and “Holy Places.” The release comprises newly submitted music alongside songs from other Christian traditions and previously limited language availability hymns. This update brings the total number of hymns in the collection to 37.
"Faith in Every Footstep" was initially composed for the 150th anniversary of Latter-day Saint pioneers entering Salt Lake Valley. It first appeared in Church magazines in 1997 during pioneer sesquicentennial celebrations. Previously included in hymnbooks for Croatian, Czech, Estonian, Hungarian, and Romanian languages, it now joins "Hymns—For Home and Church."
A notable inclusion is “This Little Light of Mine,” which has roots in early African American Christian traditions and gained popularity during the U.S. Civil Rights Movement. The version included reflects an expansion of musical styles within this hymn collection.
Jinhee Kim from the Korean translation team highlighted the importance of singing worship songs in familiar languages: "By singing songs, I feel like we are able to worship God more joyfully, more easily," said Kim.
Kayla Decker, translation manager for the new hymnbook project emphasized that transcreation involves more than just translating words; it ensures cultural resonance: "What we’re asking teams to do is to take the source text...and help it resonate culturally."
Elder Matthew L. Carpenter commented on these efforts as vital for expanding God's kingdom: "We have to bring more words...Part of this project...is helping accelerate that mighty work as we prepare for His Second Coming."
Additional resources will be provided with each hymn release to connect them with church doctrine. Decker noted that divine guidance has been evident throughout this process: "The emphasis is on transcreating into the language of people’s hearts..."
The Church also plans to release a small selection from this book across various languages worldwide — some receiving their first hymnal access ever.
Suann Kang shared her experience working on this diverse project: "This project is really the work of the Lord...We are all united in one effort..."
