When The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints put out a call for submissions for a new global hymnbook in June 2018, it was not long after ministering took the place of visiting teaching and home teaching.
Ministering was announced during April 2018 general conference as a newer, holier approach to caring and ministering to others.
Merrijane Rice and Jennette Jay Booth had met during a Church music festival and found that they worked really well together. Rice writes lyrics, and Booth composes music.
As they talked together about submitting a song or hymn to the new hymnbook, Rice said they felt that they should write a new children’s song about ministering.
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“Instead of just talking about, ‘Ministering is being kind and doing this and that,’ Merrijane just made it completely about what Jesus does and that we can do it too,” Booth said. “I thought, ‘Oh this is so beautifully perfect.’”
Often when Booth composes music, songs can take months. She will work on something and have to put it away and come back to it later.
“But this song, I sat down at the piano, and it just sort of flowed. It was more like remembering it almost instead of writing it,” Booth said. “It really wrote itself.”
The result was “How Did the Savior Minister?” and it was included in the latest batch released in September 2025 of new hymns for “Hymns — For Home and Church.”
Visit the Church News to read more about the new song.
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