author
Edmund S. (Edmund Simon) Lorenz
1854–1942
A Methodist minister, music publisher, and prolific gospel songwriter, he helped shape American church music in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Best remembered for hymns like "Tell It to Jesus," he paired pastoral warmth with a practical gift for bringing songs into everyday worship.
2 Audiobooks
The Singing Church: The Hymns It Wrote and Sang
by Edmund S. (Edmund Simon) Lorenz
The Otterbein Hymnal For Use in Public and Social Worship
by Edmund S. (Edmund Simon) Lorenz
About the author
Born in North Lawrence, Ohio, on July 13, 1854, Edmund Simon Lorenz grew up in a religious household and went on to become an ordained minister in the United Brethren in Christ tradition. He later studied at Otterbein University and Union Biblical Seminary, building a career that joined preaching, teaching, and music.
Lorenz became especially influential through church music. Based in Dayton, Ohio, he worked as a music publisher and editor, compiled and issued many hymnals and song collections, and wrote both words and music himself. He is commonly associated with the gospel song "Tell It to Jesus," and sources also note that he wrote under several pseudonyms.
He died in Dayton on July 10, 1942. His long career reflects a rare mix of pastor, educator, composer, and publisher, and his work helped carry gospel and Sunday school music to a wide audience across American Protestant life.