The Church's One Foundation Samuel J. Stone, 1866
3 verses, sung to Aurelia (7.6.7.6.7.6.7.6), public domain, free to print and project.
The words
Verse 1. The Church’s one foundation
Is Jesus Christ her Lord;
She is his new creation
By water and the word.
From heav’n he came and sought her
To be his holy Bride;
With his own blood he bought her,
And for her life he died.
Verse 2. Though with a scornful wonder,
Men see her sore opprest,
By schisms rent asunder,
By heresies distrest:
Yet saints their watch are keeping,
Their cry goes up “How long?”
And soon the night of weeping
Shall be the morn of song.
Verse 3. ’Mid toil and tribulation,
And tumult of her war,
She waits the consummation
Of peace for evermore;
Till with the vision glorious
Her longing eyes are blest,
And the great church victorious,
Shall be the church at rest.
Words copied from New Baptist Hymnal (1926). They were published in 1866, so they are in the public domain in the United States, and your church may print them, show them and sing them without a license.
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The story behind The Church’s One Foundation
Samuel J. Stone wrote the hymn while he was a young curate at Windsor. He published it in 1866 in Lyra Fidelium, twelve hymns on the twelve articles of the Apostles' Creed. This one sets the ninth article, on the holy catholic church and the communion of saints. Stone wrote for poorer parishioners who recited the Creed in private prayer with little sense of what it meant. Each hymn sat opposite a short prose summary and Scripture notes. The first version had seven stanzas of eight lines. The church was also in turmoil then. Bishop John Colenso of Natal had questioned traditional teaching on the Old Testament and on eternal punishment, and Bishop Robert Gray of Cape Town tried to remove him. Stone later wrote that Gray's defense of the faith was much on his mind. The hymn never names Colenso. The 1868 appendix to Hymns Ancient and Modern cut the text to five stanzas, and Stone later adopted that version. That book also paired the words with AURELIA, a tune Samuel Sebastian Wesley wrote for Jerusalem the golden. For a procession at Salisbury Cathedral in 1885, Stone expanded the hymn to ten stanzas. The long form was sung at the Lambeth Conference in 1888.
Samuel J. Stone
1839-04-25 to 1900-11-19
Samuel John Stone was born on 25 April 1839 at Whitmore, Staffordshire, the son of a clergyman. He studied at Charterhouse and Pembroke College, Oxford, and became curate at Windsor in 1862. He later served at St. Paul's, Haggerston, in London, and succeeded his father there as incumbent in 1874. His books include Lyra Fidelium (1866), Sonnets of the Christian Year (1875) and Hymns (1886). "The Church's One Foundation" appeared first in Lyra Fidelium as a hymn on the Apostles' Creed, and it remains his best-known text. He died on 19 November 1900.
Samuel Sebastian Wesley
1810-08-14 to 1876-04-19
Samuel Sebastian Wesley was born in London on 14 August 1810, the son of the composer Samuel Wesley. He sang in the Chapel Royal choir from 1819 and held organ posts at Hereford, Exeter, Leeds, Winchester and Gloucester between 1832 and 1876. He conducted the Three Choirs Festival in 1834 and again in 1865, 1868, 1871 and 1874. His anthems are regarded as his best work. He wrote the tune AURELIA, and the 1868 appendix to Hymns Ancient and Modern paired it with "The Church's One Foundation." He died at Gloucester on 19 April 1876.
- Hymnology Archive, The church's one foundation , read 2026-10-16
- Hymnary.org, Samuel John Stone , read 2026-10-16
- Hymnary.org, United Methodist Hymnal 545, The Church's One Foundation , read 2026-10-16
Scripture in The Church’s One Foundation
The Bible passages behind the words, with the verse of the hymn that draws on each.
- 1 Corinthians 3:11 In verse 11 of the hymn
- Ephesians 5:25-26
- Matthew 16:18 In verse 18 of the hymn
- Revelation 7:17 In verse 17 of the hymn
The Church’s One Foundation videos
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The Church’s One Foundation Martijn de Groot, Congregation
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The Church's one foundation ('Aurelia') | The Choir of Trinity College Cambridge The Choir of Trinity College Cambridge, Choir
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The Church's One Foundation - A Cappella Hymn A Cappella Hymns, A cappella
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The Church's One Foundation - piano instrumental hymn with lyrics Kaleb Brasee, Piano
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The Church's One Foundation (feat. Ryan Van Kirk) Perimeter Worship - Topic, Modern arrangement
Videos play from YouTube, and nothing loads from YouTube until you press play. A video may sing different verses from the ones printed on this page.
Downloads, printing and slides
Sheet music files
- Sheet music PDF 97 KB. Words and all four parts, ready to print.
- Lead sheet PDF 87 KB. Melody, words and chord symbols for piano or guitar.
- MusicXML score XML 65 KB. Opens in MuseScore, Finale, Sibelius and Dorico to change the key or print parts.
- MIDI, all parts MIDI 2 KB. Plays the four-part harmony in any MIDI player or notation app.
- MIDI, melody only MIDI 1 KB. The tune alone, for learning it.
Practice tracks for each voice part, as MIDI: Alto , Tenor , Bass .
Chords and keys
Hymnals print it in E-flat.
Questions people ask
Who wrote The Church's One Foundation?
Samuel J. Stone wrote it in 1866 for his book Lyra Fidelium. It treats the ninth article of the Apostles' Creed.
What tune goes with The Church's One Foundation?
AURELIA, written by Samuel Sebastian Wesley, is the usual tune. It was first paired with these words in the 1868 appendix to Hymns Ancient and Modern.
What Bible verse is The Church's One Foundation based on?
Stone's own notes list 1 Corinthians 3:11 for the first stanza, which names Jesus Christ as the only foundation. Other stanzas cite Matthew 16:18 and Revelation 7:17.
Is The Church's One Foundation in the public domain?
The words are public domain in the United States. Stone first published them in 1866. Wesley's tune AURELIA is also older than 1931.
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