Why should a church teach hymns?

One basic reason is that hymns are a means of communicating the message of the church. Some hymns are paraphrases of Scripture and others are based on specific Scripture verses. Hymns also effectively convey the church’s theology.

While listening to a sermon can be a passive experience, hymn singing is meant always to involve the congregation actively.

Furthermore, hymns sung over and over again, year after year effectively teach through repetition. Their melodies tend to linger long in the memory, carrying the thoughts and connected with them into the mind and heart.

Hymns should also be taught for their value in helping a congregation or an individual to worship. Sometimes when worshipers lack words to express their feelings, they find them expressed meaningfully in the words of a hymn.

from Sing with Understanding