The Church's One Foundation
The church is built on Jesus Christ, who gave himself for it and keeps it one.
The words are public domain. We print a hymn only after checking it word for word against a dated old printing, and this one hasn’t been checked yet. Hymnary has it now.
“The Church's One Foundation” at HymnaryAbout this hymn
This hymn says the church is founded on Jesus Christ alone. He made the church his own by his death, and he keeps it one people across every land and time, joined also to those who have died in faith.
It rests on 1 Corinthians 3:11, "no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ," and on Ephesians 5, where Christ gives himself for the church.
It is sung at any time, often at church anniversaries and on Reformation Day. Samuel John Stone, an English priest, wrote it in 1866 on the Apostles' Creed.
For musicians and planners
| Words | Samuel John Stone, 1866 | Public domain |
|---|---|---|
| Tune | AURELIA · Samuel Sebastian Wesley, 1864 | Public domain |
Checked 2026-09-27 against hymnary.org text, tune and person pages (attribution and rights only). The words are not transcribed here yet.
Hymn numbers checked against Hymnary.org’s index of Evangelical Lutheran Worship. Full record: Hymnary.