Who is this guide for?
This guide is for anyone responsible for the music, prayers and liturgy in a Methodist worship service that is being printed, projected, recorded or streamed. It points you to the right answer for the most common Methodist materials:
- Singing the Faith (StF) — the current Methodist hymn book
- Singing the Faith Plus (StF+) — the online supplement
- Songs of Fellowship (SoF) — widely used alongside StF
- Methodist Worship Book (MWB) — the connexional liturgy
It's a companion to the Copyright Guide for Streamed Worship, which explains the underlying licences in detail. This page tells you which licence covers which material.
If you haven't yet read Copyright Guide for Streamed Worship, start there. This guide assumes you already know what the CCLI Streaming Licence and OneLicense are, and the difference between in-person and streamed use.
Singing the Faith — hymn-by-hymn lookup
For a complete hymn-by-hymn breakdown of Singing the Faith, use the Connexion-wide reference table maintained by Chris Hancock and Vicky Price, hosted by Hatfield Road Methodist Church.
This table tells you, for every hymn in Singing the Faith:
- Which licence scheme covers it (CCLI, OneLicense, Public Domain, General, or Specific permission)
- The reference number you need for reporting (CCLI song number or OneLicense ID)
- Whether the hymn is not covered by any of the standard schemes (these appear with a pink background on the table — do not project or use on printed sheets without separate permission)
This is the canonical Connexion-wide reference. It is used by churches across the country and updated periodically.
A snapshot version of the same data, dated 7 March 2026, is available as a download here for archival or offline use. We will update this periodically.
Understanding the licence categories
| Category | What it means | What you need to do |
|---|---|---|
| CCLI | Covered by the CCLI Church Copyright Licence catalogue | Hold the CCLI licence; report usage in the normal way |
| OneLicense | Covered by OneLicense (publishers including Taize, Iona, OUP, Stainer & Bell, Kevin Mayhew) | Hold the OneLicense licence; report usage in the normal way |
| Public Domain | Out of copyright | Free to use without licence or reporting |
| General permission | Copyright holder has confirmed the hymn may be used in any worship context | Free to use in worship; check the table for any specific conditions |
| Specific permission | Copyright holder has only granted permission to a named church | Not free for general use. Contact the copyright holder directly if you want to use the hymn |
| None (pink background on Chris's table) | Not covered by CCLI or OneLicense, no general permission identified | Do not project or use on printed sheets. Contact the copyright holder if you want to use the hymn |
If you find an error, or you have permissions or contact details for any of the "None" entries, please email Chris Hancock — his contact is on the reference page.
What about physical hymn books?
Use of physical hymn books removes the need for a licence. The copyright fee is paid by Methodist Publishing when the book is produced and forms part of the cost of the book. The licence question only arises when you reproduce the words or music — by photocopying, projecting, printing in a service sheet, or streaming.
Singing the Faith Plus (StF+)
All hymns published on Singing the Faith Plus may be used freely in church contexts, provided appropriate copyright acknowledgement is given.
Where an author or composer is listed with CCLI, normal CCLI reporting requirements still apply — the StF+ publication terms do not override standard licensing obligations.
Songs of Fellowship
The Hatfield Road reference table also covers Songs of Fellowship volumes 1–6 and Songs of Fellowship Christmas on a hymn-by-hymn basis where the data has been collected. Coverage is partial and being added as the need arises.
Treat Songs of Fellowship in the same way as Singing the Faith:
- If the hymn is in CCLI, use the CCLI Church Copyright Licence
- If the hymn is from a OneLicense publisher, hold OneLicense
- If you can't tell, check the table or contact CCLI to confirm
Methodist Worship Book (MWB) — liturgy and prayers
The Methodist Worship Book (Methodist Publishing House, 1999) is the connexional liturgy. Copyright in the MWB is held by the Trustees for Methodist Church Purposes (TMCP).
Material that is TMCP copyright
Free to use in worship contexts, including streaming and recording, under TMCP's copyright waiver. No separate permission is needed.
This covers the great majority of the MWB — the orders of service, prefaces, blessings, prayers and responses written for the MWB by the Faith and Order Committee and adopted by Conference. If you are streaming a Methodist service that follows the MWB, you can use these texts freely.
Material that is third-party copyright
Some texts in the MWB originate from outside the Methodist Church and remain the copyright of their original authors or publishers. The most significant blocks of third-party material are:
- Church of England liturgy — some prayers, prefaces and responses adapted from Common Worship. Use of these in streamed Methodist services is generally tolerated by the Church of England under their existing permissions, but the position is not formally documented and would need to be confirmed in writing if challenged
- The English Language Liturgical Commission (ELLC) texts — including the Glory to God in the Highest, the Apostles' Creed, the Nicene Creed, the Lord's Prayer (modern wording), the Sanctus and Benedictus, and the Agnus Dei. These ELLC texts may be used freely in worship contexts including streaming — the ELLC publishes them for ecumenical use without restriction
- Hymns and canticles within the MWB — these are subject to the same licence rules as hymns generally (CCLI, OneLicense, or Public Domain); see the Singing the Faith section above
What this means in practice
For most Methodist services using the MWB in printed, projected, recorded or streamed form:
- The orders of service and the bulk of the liturgy are TMCP copyright and free for use under TMCP's waiver
- The Creeds, the Lord's Prayer, the Gloria, the Sanctus and similar ecumenical texts are ELLC and free for use
- Hymns sung within the service are subject to standard hymn licensing (CCLI / OneLicense / Public Domain — see above)
- Text-by-text identification of MWB third-party material is forthcoming — an authoritative section-by-section breakdown is being prepared for a future update of this guide
If you are unsure whether a specific MWB prayer or response is TMCP copyright or third-party, contact publishing@methodistchurch.org.uk.
Bible translations
For Bible translations used in Methodist worship — NRSV, NRSVue, NIV, KJV, Good News — see the dedicated table in the Copyright Guide for Streamed Worship, Part 4.
About this guide
This guide was produced by the Connexional Team. It is intended as practical guidance and does not constitute legal advice. Copyright permissions and licensing terms change — always check the licensing body websites for the most current information.
If you spot an error or have a question this guide doesn't answer, please contact digital@methodistchurch.org.uk.