Hymn writer Stephen Best talks to Ana Gobledale

Maybe, as he says, it’s a Welsh thing or maybe it’s his poetic gift, but ready-to-sing hymns are arising from the pen of the Revd Stephen Best, part of our United Reformed Church family.

Following in the tradition of Isaac Watts (see ‘Songs of faith’, Reform, Jul/Aug), Stephen writes singable and relevant lyrics for today’s congregations. This statement, written by Stephen in 2024, might have been written by Watts 300 years earlier:

‘I find a lot of phraseology, terminology and theology of many older hymns outdated. Repeating them keeps us in the past and makes it more of a challenge to move forward. There are some things we need to let go of, if we are to be inclusive and relevant. And we need to express that change in language and song.’..

Stephen Best was interviewed by Ana Gobledale, a URC minister and editor of worshipwords.co.uk