Common Hymnal

Common Hymnal is a collective and online platform for Christian artists, songwriters, and pastors who create worship music from outside the mainstream of contemporary Christian music culture. The project was founded by Malcolm du Plessis, a former Christian music executive and activist from Durban, South Africa. Operating under the parent nonprofit organization Common People, the group functions as a virtual library or cyber hymnal that aggregates songs, stories, and ideas from what its members describe as a spiritual underground.

The collective’s mission is often defined as fusing “praise and protest” and “Jesus and justice.” Their music is described as worship with a social conscience, intentionally avoiding the religious industrial complex. Common Hymnal hosts songwriting camps to curate music that explores themes such as racial justice, lament, belonging, and joy. This collaborative approach has drawn in a range of contributors, including Dee Wilson, Jalen Seawright, and Phillip Joubert.

Common Hymnal’s catalog includes songs such as “The Kingdom Is Yours,” “How Much Longer,” “God of Color,” “Irie (Sound Mind),” “Baila,” “God Will Prevail,” and “My Oasis.” The collective also released an album titled Praise and Protest. Through its music and gatherings, Common Hymnal provides a platform for voices that feel marginalized within the broader Christian worship scene, centering honest storytelling and a conviction that faith and justice belong together.