Hymn Story: Wherever He Leads, I'll Go

 

Hymn Stories: Wherever He Leads, I'll Go 

(Sam Stack) This month, I want to share a hymn article that I wrote in 2021.  Wherever He Leads I’ll Go is one of my favorite invitational hymns and the hymns of B. B. McKinney have greatly influenced Baptist life over the last eighty plus years.

B. B. McKinney (1886 – 1952) had a great influence on Southern Baptist music in the early 20^th Century.  He served as an educator, music editor, and pastor.  In 1935, he came to the Sunday School Board of the SBC (now Lifeway).  In 1941, he became the first secretary (director) of the newly created Church Music Department of the Sunday School Board (now called Lifeway Worship). Under his leadership the Sunday School board produced three hymnals, Songs of Victory (1937), The Broadman Hymnal (1940), and Voice of Praise (1948).

In 1936, while leading music for the Alabama Sunday School convention, McKinney had dinner with the speaker R. S. Jones, a missionary to Brazil and a lifelong friend.  Jones was home due to some health issues and had been told that he would not be able to return to Brazil.  When asked by McKinney what his future plans were, he replied: ”I don’t know, but wherever He leads I’ll go.”

That night upon returning to his hotel room, McKinney wrote the words and music to this great hymn.

The next night, he handed a handwritten manuscript of the hymn to the accompanist and sang it as a solo after Jones spoke, after telling the story of the inspiration of the song.  They hymn first appeared in Songs of Victory, and has appeared in every Baptist hymnal through the most recent hymnal published in 2008.

 

Chorus

Wherever He leads I'll go
Wherever He leads I'll go
I'll follow my Christ who loves me so
Wherever He leads I'll go

 

Verse 1
Take up thy cross and follow Me
I heard my Master say
I gave My life to ransom thee
Surrender your all today

 

Verse 2

He drew me closer to His side
I sought His will to know
And in that will I now abide
Wherever He leads I'll go

 

Verse 3

It may be through the shadows dim
Or o'er the stormy sea
I take my cross and follow Him
Wherever He leadeth me

 

Verse 4

My heart my life my all I bring
To Christ who loves me so
He is my Master Lord and King
Wherever He leads I'll go

 

B. B. McKinney

© 1936, 1964 Broadman Press (Admin. by Music Services, Inc.)

Material gathered from the Complete Book of Hymns by William J. Petersen and Ardythe Petersen and Companion to Baptist Hymnal (1975) by William J. Reynolds