An article written by adjunct music professor Bodie Gilbert was published in the 2008 Heritage Magazine, which is the annual periodical for historical research related to the Assemblies of God.  Gilbert was commissioned to compose a piece surveying the history of the music in the Fellowship and its story of congregational singing and worship.

As little research has been done in the area, this work could well be considered the first concise, yet well-researched document of its kind.  As a graduate student at Baylor University, Dr. David Music of the Academic Studies Division of the School of Music assisted Gilbert by offering guidance throughout the process.  In the discipline of Church Music Studies, Dr. Music is considered a leading historian and author, with several textbooks and numerous scholarly articles to his credit.

The article is entitled “A Short History of Congregational Song in the Assemblies of God” and can be found on the Flower Pentecostal Heritage Center website.  This survey of A/G hymnody in the United States briefly considers what was sung, how it was sung and why it was sung.  According to Gilbert, “For many years in the evangelical world, the Bible and the hymnal, as a pair, were the dynamic duo of Christian devotion.  While modern trends have de-emphasized the use of the hymnal or songbook, the rich history of Christian music and theology may be found on their pages.”