The Hymn Society Academic Forum is a community of scholars, teachers, researchers, and writers dedicated to the study and practice of congregational song in higher education.
This group provides a forum for academics and researchers connected to The Hymn Society to share insights, pose questions, collaborate on projects, and exchange ideas about teaching and scholarship in our field. Whether you’re preparing a course on hymnody, conducting research on congregational song, writing about worship music, or simply curious about what colleagues are exploring, this is your space for collegial conversation and mutual support.
We welcome faculty and graduate students in seminaries, divinity schools, and universities, as well as independent scholars and writers whose work engages the hymnic tradition or reaches into new areas of inquiry related to congregational song. Our conversations span disciplines—theology, musicology, ethnomusicology, liturgical studies, history, literature, cultural studies, and more—united by our common interest in the songs the church sings.
Join us to discover what others are teaching, learn about new research in the field, find collaborators for projects, troubleshoot classroom challenges, and contribute to the ongoing scholarly conversation about congregational song.
To join the Academic Forum, please send an email request to office@thehymnsociety.org and type “Academic Forum” in the subject line. In your message, please verify that you are a member of The Hymn Society. This forum is a Google group. You don’t need to have a Gmail address to join, but you will be asked to open a free Google account. Anneli Loepp Thiessen and Paul Richardson, FHS, are serving as moderators.
Posting Guidelines
To keep our forum welcoming, productive, and focused, please observe these guidelines:
Share generously. Post about your research, teaching materials, conference presentations, publications, or questions you’re wrestling with in your work. Course syllabi are welcome and can be shared securely here (see next point). This group thrives when members actively contribute.
Respect intellectual property. When sharing resources or citing others’ work, respect copyright and give proper attribution. If you’re sharing unpublished work, you may wish to note whether you welcome citations. Syllabi and other teaching materials shared in this group should not be redistributed outside the group without the author’s permission.
Ask openly. Whether you need help identifying a hymn source, want feedback on a syllabus, or are looking for teaching resources, don’t hesitate to ask. Someone here likely has insight to share.
Respond thoughtfully. When you can contribute to a conversation, please do. Even brief responses can be valuable to colleagues seeking input.
Stay on topic. Keep posts related to academic work in hymnody and congregational song—teaching, research, writing, and scholarly resources. For other Hymn Society discussions, please use appropriate channels.
Be collegial. We gather as peers who may hold different theological, musical, or methodological perspectives. Engage disagreements with respect and intellectual generosity.
Protect privacy. Don’t share student information or private details about your institution without appropriate permission.
Avoid commercial promotion. While it’s appropriate to share news of your own publications or relevant resources, please don’t use the group primarily for marketing or sales.
Keep accessibility in mind. When sharing files or links, consider whether they’re accessible to all members. If you’re sharing something behind a paywall, note that in your post.