New Arrangement: All Creatures of Our God and King

from Hymncharts arranger Don Chapman:

It’s 2025 and I’m going through all my earliest Hymncharts arrangements to see which ones deserve a modern facelift. Next up: All Creatures of Our God and King, last arranged in 2003!

I haven’t heard this hymn in years. So I sat down at the piano and played it from memory, and that unfamiliarity actually helped. When you’re not locked into “how it’s always been done” you’re free to experiment.

Here’s what I did: took the first half of verses one and two, merged them into a single verse, then grabbed the second halves and made them the chorus. Added that modern worship bridge that starts quietly and builds big, ending in another massive chorus.

The result? If you know the hymn, it’ll feel familiar. But your congregation probably hasn’t sung it in forever, so they’ll experience the freshness while still knowing the melody.

I arranged it in C (anthemic and upbeat.) The wide melodic range limits how high or low you can go – a step up or down is about as far as you can push it and still keep it singable for the congregation. This one really deserves a full band (though of course you can pull it off with just piano or guitar like all my arrangements.)

The new bridge is simple but effective: the keyboard melodic riff from the intro is repeated four times with nothing but “Alleluia” sung over it. That simple Alleluia gives your people a breather to absorb St. Francis’s rich, theological lyrics before launching into the final chorus.

You’ll need a vocalist who can really own this one. It’s a call to worship that is a powerful declaration!

How to use All Creatures of Our God and King in your worship service:

Without a doubt, this arrangement is the quintessential call to worship and any worship song can follow it! However, for perfect worship flow, try matching it thematically with some of these popular worship songs:

• So Will I (100 Billion X) / Hillsong UNITED. Refrains like “If the stars were made to worship so will I… If the rocks cry out…” make it a bullseye for nature joining praise.
• God of Wonders / (Mac Powell/Third Day). Opens “Lord of all creation… of water, earth and sky; the universe declares Your majesty.” Perfect textual mirror to sun/moon/wind lines.
• Indescribable / Chris Tomlin. “From the highest of heights to the depths of the sea… Creation’s revealing Your majesty.” Direct nature imagery throughout.
• Great Are You Lord / All Sons & Daughters. Bridge: “All the earth will shout Your praise… it’s Your breath in our lungs.” (Creation → breath-of-God tie-in.)

Download All Creatures of Our God and King

Get this arrangement of All Creatures of Our God and King only at Hymncharts.com and Worshiphymns.com – you won’t find this fresh take anywhere else! As the arranger, I’m offering this new version exclusively on these websites.