Since being hired for his first music ministry position in 2005, Rick Barnes has sought to arrange timeless hymns of the faith in modern, singable ways. With the emergence of contemporary worship, churches with worship bands now have the challenge of translating the intent of these hymns into a contemporary style, and Hymns: Tried and True, Vol. 1 is a testament to Rick’s work in this area. While staying true to the original texts and tunes, this project suggests ways these classics can continue to exist in Christian worship where the past is honored and future possibilities are explored. Listeners will discover texts calling for robust praise such as A Mighty Fortress and All Creatures of Our God and King are dense with rock/orchestral accompaniment, while contemplative selections like May the Mind of Christ My Savior are treated with a simpler, more exposed approach. Holy, Holy, Holy and Great is Thy Faithfulness feature a women’s chorus and piano while titles like Jesus Shall Reign and Immortal, Invisible give the nod to modern rock.  

While many of the arrangements are dense, this project isn’t intended for large worship teams only - it can serve smaller teams as well! Crown Him with Many Crowns, regal as it is, features a smaller acoustic ensemble, and My Hope is Built and Great is Thy Faithfulness are led with a few singers, piano and cello. Even the dense arrangements can be reduced to a piano/guitar/singer foundation. If that isn’t encouraging enough, note readers and chart readers alike will find the variety of sheet music options to be satisfying.  

Beyond hymn arranging, Rick has also written Christmas and Easter repertoire for solo voice, choir, chamber ensembles and orchestra. He is also passionate about educating, whether it’s helping classically-trained musicians learn to play by ear, bolstering self-taught musicians in music theory, or training young worship leaders about the long haul of faithful ministry. Rick has a life goal of learning all of the preludes and fugues from Bach’s The Well-Tempered Clavier. He is a graduate of the University of Montevallo (piano performance) and has served as music director at Covenant Presbyterian Church (Birmingham, AL) since 2013. Rick can also be found playing golf, enjoying new restaurants with his wife (Stacy), cheering on his two kids in basketball or volleyball and rooting for Auburn.