CHRISTIAN CHURCH >> Ordination
SDAH 377
Go forth, go forth with Christ,
Who called you to this day,
He who has led, will lead
And keep you in His way:
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For Worship Leaders
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Hymn Spotlight: Go Forth, Go Forth With Christ
Written originally for Anglican ordination services, this hymn by George Boorne Timms calls every believer—not just clergy—to go forward with Christ in service, suffering, and triumph. Its stirring tone fits the tune DARWALL’S 148TH perfectly, echoing the spirit of mission and courage. Though originally addressed to priests, Timms rewrote the hymn to reflect the broader call to all disciples. It reminds us that wherever Christ leads, He also empowers us to follow.
📖 Reference: Feel free to share but please cite hymnsforworship.org when reproducing.
Introductions for Sabbath School Song Service (based on specific lesson quarterlies):
The author writes: “Through having to arrange ordinations in the diocese of London, I became aware that suitable hymns were few. This caused me to write the hymn in question at a time when ordinations were, in the Church of England, confined to men. (The first line was, “Go forth, O Priest, with Christ.”) As a result, I rewrote the hymn for the New English Hymnal, but in the end decided not to include it, since I had found what I thought was a better one for the purpose.”
George Boorne Timms was born October 4, 1910, in Derby, England, and educated at St. Edmund Hall, Oxford, and the Collage of the Resurrection at Mirfield, West Yorkshire. Ordained in Coventry Cathedral, 1925 he served in the following positions: curate in Coventry and Reading; sacrist and succentor of Southwark Cathedral, 1949-1952; vicar of St. Mary’s Primrose Hill, London (this is the church where the English Hymnal, 1906, was born, when Percy Dearmer – see SDAH 259 – was a minister there), 1952-1965; rural dean of Hampstead, 1959-1965; prebendary of St. Paul’s Cathedral, 1964-1971; director of ordination training and examining chaplain to the bishop of London.1965-1971; and for 10 years prior to his retirement in 1981, the archdeacon of Hackney, London. He has been chairman of the English Hymnal Company since 1969. Publications include: The Liturgical Seasons, 1965; editor, English Praise: A Supplement to the English Hymnal, 1975; coauthor, The Cloud of Witnesses, 1982; and editor, The New English Hymnal, 1986.
For comments on DARWALL’S 148TH and John Darwall, see SDAH 221, “Rejoice, the Lord is King.”
📖 Reference: Companion to the Seventh-day Adventist Hymnal by Wayne Hooper and Edward E. White. Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1988.
Text
1
Go forth, go forth with Christ,
Who called you to this day,
He who has led, will lead
And keep you in His way:
His word is fast, His promise sure
To all who serve Him and endure.
2
Go forth, go forth with Christ,
With purpose not your own,
Each vict’ry you shall gain
Through Him your Lord alone:
To guard you in fidelity
His Spirit shall your strength’ner be.
3
Go forth, go forth with Christ,
His Priesthood you shall share,
Who bought us by His blood
To be His servants here:
Walk in the way your Savior trod,
Go forth with Him, go forth with God.
Hymn Info
Biblical Reference
(a) 2 Tim 1:9; Col 3:24 (b) 1 Cor 15:57 (c) 1 Pet 2:21
Author
G.B. Timms (1910-1997)
Copyright
from English Praise by permission of Oxford University Press.
Hymn Tune
DARWALL’S 148TH
Metrical Number
6.6.6.6.8.8.
Composer
John Darwall (1731-1789)
Theme
ORDINATION
