author
Lester Hostetler
b. 1892
A Mennonite minister and hymn scholar, he helped shape how generations of readers and singers understood the Mennonite hymn tradition. His best-known work, a detailed handbook to the 1940 Mennonite Hymnary, combined careful research with a pastor’s love of church song.
1 Audiobook
Handbook to the Mennonite Hymnary
by Lester Hostetler
About the author
Born in Sugarcreek, Ohio, on April 25, 1892, he studied at Goshen Academy and Goshen College, graduating from Goshen in 1915, and later earned a B.D. from Union Theological Seminary in 1918. He was ordained in 1915 and served as a minister in the General Conference Mennonite Church.
Alongside his pastoral work, he became especially respected for his work in hymnology. He co-edited The Mennonite Hymnary (1940), edited 101 Hymns from the Mennonite Hymnary (1947) and The Youth Hymnary (1956), and wrote Handbook to the Mennonite Hymnary (1949), a substantial reference work that helped set a high standard for Mennonite hymn research.
His life also included work beyond the pulpit and the page: sources describe him as an orchard grower and piano technician as well as a writer and editor. He died on July 23, 1989, at age 97.