Since 1966 the Song & Hymn Writers Foundation and its forerunners Jubilate and Resound Worship have been promoting excellence in the writing of words and music for God’s worshipping church.
VISION AND AIMS
We are a non-denominational Christian organisation with a vision that the worship of the Church would be enriched through
- new songs and hymns that are built on the foundations of Biblical truth and inspire hearts and minds to respond in faith while shaping the people of God for their mission in the world
- a model for the creation and distribution of Christian congregational song that is rooted in local churches, centred on Christ and shaped after the kingdom of God.
Towards this end we have seven key aims:
1. Publish Songs & Hymns
Publish songs and hymns that deepen the worship of the Church, engaging with themes and styles that broaden its language of worship and reflecting the richness of scripture and diversity of Christian discipleship.
2. Serve the Church
Serve the church by producing and modelling songs and hymns that encourage and enable congregational singing, that are not built around personalities and performing artists, but treat the congregation as the most important voice.
3. Grow the Talent Pool
Grow & diversify the pool of talent by discovering, nurturing and giving a platform to writers outside the few dominant labels, with a particular focus on UK sources.
4. Champion the Grassroots Writer
Champion the role of the grass-roots songwriter as a unique voice in each local church, resourcing them to help grow their skills and provide a healthy balance alongside the globalised song-sources and traditional repertoire.
5. Develop Community
Develop community among songwriters that leads to wider accountability, greater skill, deeper understanding and a mutual, organic sharing of songs across churches that is independent of market systems.
6. Value Writers
Value the writer as a person and member of the wider church they serve, through publishing models that favour creatives over corporations and which are relational, generous & empowering.
7. Work in Partnership
Work in partnership with churches, organisations and other publishers, to pursue greater creativity and to model generous kingdom values throughout the industry.
Resound Worship
Established in 2006, contemporary songs for worship as well as a global community of local church songwriters through the 12 Song Challenge and monthly podcast.
Jubilate
Hymns and songs for worship from some of the most popular and prolific British authors and composers of the 20th century and early 21st.
How is SHWF funded?
- donations from churches and individual supporters
- grants from trusts and organisations
- sales and event fees
- profits from its subsidiary trading company Jubilate Hymns Ltd
While we make a considerable number of resources available without cost, we also charge for some items, and we charge fees for attendance at workshops and events. This is crucial in covering the costs of production, administration and delivery. At the same time we offer bursaries from general funds to enable those for whom there would be a financial barrier to attendance.
When SHWF was established by the directors of Jubilate Hymns Ltd, the shareholders gifted their shares to the charity, making Jubilate Hymns Ltd a wholly-owned subsidiary company. The company administers copyrights for over 80 writers and donates its profits to SHWF. This is in keeping with the tradition of Jubilate, which has always donated any profits to charitable causes.
How is SHWF governed?
The Song & Hymn Writers Foundation is a charitable incorporated organisation (CIO) registered with the charity commission. A Board of Trustees oversees the charity and is responsible of overall governance and policies which are then implemented operationally by the staff team under the direction of the Executive Director.
The trading subsidiary Jubilate Hymns Ltd , while wholly owned by the charity, is governed by an independent Board of Directors with day to day operations being led by the staff under the direction of the Agency Manager.
We’re currently looking for new Trustees to join our team. Could it be you?