Missionary hymns: the gospel to every nation

The great age of missionary hymns came as churches in Britain and America began sending workers around the world, and the hymns they wrote still carry the conviction that Jesus' reign reaches “where'er the sun does his successive journeys run.” They call the church to pray for the nations, to go, to give and to send.

These hymns suit a missions Sunday or conference, a service commissioning missionaries or a short-term team, and any Sunday when the sermon turns to the Great Commission. The list below puts the most widely sung first. Some older missionary hymns use language about other peoples that sounds harsh today; read a hymn through before choosing it, and pick verses that say what your church wants to say. All are in the public domain, so you may print selected verses freely.

Hymns marked “▶ Play along” have a free accompaniment, useful for a mission event in a hall or a home with no musician. Print several at once with the button below, or add them to an order of service with readings from Matthew 28 and Isaiah 52.