We Would Be Building Temples Still Undone Meaning, History, and Theology
"We would be building; temples still undone"
- Written
- 1932
- Category
- Hymn
- Status
- Published
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Story
Purd Eugene Deitz's hymn was already published with FINLANDIA in 1932, earlier than the often-repeated 1935 date. Its imagery of foundation, communal work, obedience, and kingdom hope makes it a durable hymn of Christian mission and vocation.
Overview
We Would Be Building is a twentieth-century hymn of Christian vocation, communal responsibility, and kingdom-shaped service. Purd Eugene Deitz uses sustained construction imagery to ask what the church should make of its faith in a world marked by division, unfinished work, and moral need. The governing idea is not church architecture but the formation of lives and communities under Christ.
The hymn joins vision with obedience. Christian imagination matters, but worthy aspirations must become disciplined action grounded in Jesus Christ. The biblical image of Christ as foundation therefore provides a useful theological key: whatever the church attempts must be tested by the character, teaching, and mission of its Lord.
The text is especially suitable for church anniversaries, commissioning, youth and leadership gatherings, congregational planning, mission emphases, ecumenical services, and occasions of social ministry. Its final horizon is the kingdom of God, so institutional achievement is never treated as the ultimate goal; the church's work remains accountable to God's will.
Historical Background
The documentary history requires a correction to the date commonly attached to this hymn. Hymnary's text authority and many later hymnals date the text to 1935 and give a 1936 copyright. However, Hymns and Songs of Christian Comradeship, edited by W. E. J. Gratz and published by the Methodist Book Concern in 1932, already prints the hymn as no. 99 with Purd E. Deitz as author and FINLANDIA as tune. The book itself was copyrighted in June 1932. Therefore the hymn must have been written no later than 1932, and 1935 cannot be its first composition date.
Because the uploaded schema requires a single numeric year, the metadata uses 1932 as the earliest securely documented date. This should not be read as proof that Deitz composed the text in that exact calendar year; he may have written it earlier. What can be stated securely is that it was already in published congregational circulation by 1932.
Later hymn-companion tradition says that Deitz wrote the hymn for a youth conference concerned with Christian participation in building a better world. That story fits the text's vocational and social emphasis, but its usual 1935 dating conflicts with the verified 1932 printing. Without primary documentation resolving the discrepancy, the safest interpretation is that the tradition may preserve a later use, revision, or misdated memory rather than the hymn's first origin.
Deitz's ministry provides a strong historical setting even without relying on that story. Ordained in the Reformed Church in the United States in 1921, he served churches in Dayton and Philadelphia and later taught practical theology at Eden Theological Seminary. His work extended into national mission administration and liturgical editing in the Evangelical and Reformed Church. The hymn's concern for constructive Christian service, unity, and public responsibility is consistent with that broader vocation.
FINLANDIA had entered hymnody before Deitz's text appeared. Jean Sibelius composed the orchestral material in 1899 for the Finnish Press Celebrations and revised the finale as Finlandia in 1900. David Evans adapted its chorale-like theme for the 1927 revised Church Hymnary in Scotland. The 1932 Methodist hymnal shows that Deitz's text was already being paired with FINLANDIA before the well-known 1933 American Presbyterian arrangement later cited by many hymnals.
The text remained under copyright in later hymnals, which commonly print a 1936 copyright notice for Deitz or his estate. Since the hymn was already published in 1932, that notice represents a later copyright history rather than first publication. In 2026 the represented text should still be treated as protected in the United States. Sibelius's underlying 1899-1900 melody is public domain, but later harmonizations and arrangements, including the frequently used 1933 Presbyterian setting, may have separate rights.
Biblical Foundations
First Corinthians 3:10-11 gives the hymn its clearest Christological foundation. Paul uses construction language for Christian ministry but immediately limits human pride: the only ultimate foundation is Jesus Christ. The church therefore builds faithfully only when its plans, methods, and goals remain accountable to him.
Ephesians 2:19-22 develops the image from foundation to community. Christians are joined into one household and one holy structure in which Christ is the cornerstone and God dwells by the Spirit. This makes unity more than organizational cooperation; it is part of the church's identity in Christ.
Luke 6:47-49 adds the ethical dimension of hearing and doing Christ's words. Christian construction is secure when obedience accompanies confession. First Peter 2:4-5 shifts the metaphor again by calling believers living stones, emphasizing that the church is fundamentally a people before it is an institution.
Nehemiah 2 provides a biblical scene of communal rebuilding under opposition, while Matthew 6:10 supplies the hymn's proper horizon. Christian labor is not aimed merely at preserving an organization but at seeking God's reign and God's will on earth.
Verse Explanation
The first movement presents Christian service as unfinished communal work. The church is confronted by human brokenness and division and asks for wisdom to participate constructively in God's purposes.
The second movement turns from need to foundation. Christian vision must become durable practice, but the stability of that work depends on faithfulness to Christ rather than confidence in human plans alone.
The final movement emphasizes perseverance and obedience. The builders are asked to continue faithfully without allowing pride or discouragement to control the work, while keeping God's kingdom as the ultimate horizon.
There is no refrain. The three stanzas form a progressive prayer: perceive the work, build on the right foundation, and persevere under God's direction. Because the text remains copyrighted, this explanation describes its movement without reproducing or closely paraphrasing protected lines.
Theological Reflection
The hymn's central doctrine is ecclesial vocation. The church is called to participate in God's constructive work without imagining that it owns the project. Christ remains the foundation and criterion, so Christian action must be disciplined by obedience rather than driven by institutional ambition.
A second theme is unity. The New Testament's building imagery describes people being joined together in Christ. Christian service therefore includes the difficult work of reconciliation, cooperation, and healing across divisions. Unity is not an ornamental addition to mission; it is part of the form mission should take.
The hymn also offers a theology of imagination and action. Hope can envision a more faithful future, but vision becomes Christian vocation only when it produces concrete obedience. This guards against both passive idealism and activism detached from prayer, Scripture, and Christ's commands.
Finally, the text is eschatological. The church's work remains provisional because God's kingdom is the final measure of success. Christians labor seriously in the present while acknowledging that the completion of God's purposes is ultimately God's gift.
Church Impact
Hymnary currently indexes the text in more than thirty hymnals, with appearances in Methodist, Presbyterian, United Church of Christ, Reformed, Congregational, Moravian, Welsh-English, youth, and ecumenical collections. The hymn has been categorized under themes such as commitment, service, church, unity, hope, youth, social aspiration, and Christian purpose.
Its pairing with FINLANDIA gave the text a strong musical identity early in its documented history. The 1932 Methodist collection already used the tune, and later influential hymnals retained the pairing. A Spanish translation also entered Protestant hymnody, showing that the text traveled beyond its original English setting.
The hymn's continuing value lies in giving congregations language for constructive mission without reducing the church to institutional maintenance. It has proved adaptable to youth gatherings, anniversaries, mission services, public-witness themes, and occasions when a congregation is discerning its future responsibilities.
Musical Notes
FINLANDIA is adapted from the broad chorale-like theme in Jean Sibelius's orchestral work Finlandia. The musical material originated in the 1899 Finnish Press Celebrations and was revised by Sibelius in 1900. David Evans first adapted the theme for Christian hymnody in the 1927 revised Church Hymnary.
The tune is normally treated as 10.10.10.10.10.10 for this text. Its long phrases and repeated melodic shapes give the hymn a spacious, ceremonial quality well suited to themes of vocation, perseverance, and communal purpose. Because the melody began as orchestral music rather than congregational song, singers benefit from firm tempo, careful breathing, and strong harmonic support.
The 1932 Hymns and Songs of Christian Comradeship already pairs Deitz's text with FINLANDIA. Later American hymnals frequently use an arrangement prepared for The Hymnal in 1933. That arrangement should be distinguished from Sibelius's underlying public-domain melody because twentieth-century harmonizations can carry separate copyright.
Application
- Use the hymn when commissioning leaders, teachers, missionaries, ministry teams, or volunteers, pairing it with 1 Corinthians 3:10-11 to keep Christ at the center of the work.
- Use Ephesians 2:19-22 in congregational planning to ask whether ministries are strengthening shared life in Christ or reinforcing unnecessary division.
- Pair Luke 6:47-49 with the hymn when teaching that Christian vision must become obedience to Jesus rather than remain inspirational language.
- Use the hymn during anniversaries or building campaigns while clarifying that its deepest subject is people, mission, and faithful service rather than property alone.
- Invite a congregation to identify specific areas of social, relational, or spiritual brokenness where sustained Christian service could contribute to healing.
- Check licensing for the text and for the specific FINLANDIA arrangement being printed, projected, recorded, or newly arranged.
Discussion Questions
- What does 1 Corinthians 3:10-11 teach about the difference between Christian building and institutional ambition?
- How does Ephesians 2:19-22 reshape the idea of the church from a building people occupy into a people being built together in Christ?
- Why does the verified 1932 publication require caution about the commonly repeated 1935 composition story?
- What kinds of Christian vision remain only ideals until they become concrete obedience?
- How can a congregation pursue long-term mission while remembering that God's kingdom, not institutional success, is the final goal?
Teaching Tips
- Correct the chronology before teaching the hymn: the text is securely printed in Hymns and Songs of Christian Comradeship in 1932, so the frequently repeated 1935 origin date cannot be the earliest composition date.
- Explain that later hymnals carry a 1936 copyright notice even though the song was already in print, distinguishing copyright history from first publication.
- Read 1 Corinthians 3:10-11, Ephesians 2:19-22, and Luke 6:47-49 to develop the hymn's foundation, community, and obedience imagery without quoting the copyrighted text.
- Identify FINLANDIA as Sibelius's 1899-1900 orchestral theme adapted for hymnody in 1927, not music originally written for Deitz's words.
- Use the hymn in planning or commissioning settings by asking participants to name one concrete act of faithful service that should follow from the congregation's stated vision.
Sources
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Hymnary.org — Hymns and Songs of Christian Comradeship no. 99, 1932 printing of We Would Be Building with Purd E. Deitz and FINLANDIA
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Project Gutenberg — U.S. Copyright Renewals, confirming Hymns and Songs of Christian Comradeship was copyrighted June 27, 1932
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Hymnary.org — We Would Be Building text authority, authorship, meter, later 1935 dating, 1936 copyright tradition, and hymnal circulation
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Hymnary.org — Purd E. Deitz authority, education, Reformed ministry, Eden Seminary, national mission leadership, and life dates
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Ursinus College Digital Commons — The Ursinus Weekly, May 21, 1917, documenting Purd Eugene Deitz as student editor
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Christian Reformed Church in North America — study guide quoting Purd E. Deitz and identifying his life dates as 1897-1987
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Hymnary.org — FINLANDIA tune authority, Sibelius attribution, 1899 origin, 1927 hymnal adaptation, meter, and hymn use
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Sibelius.fi — Finlandia work history, 1899 Press Celebrations origin and 1900 revised tone poem
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ThisisFINLAND — Finlandia historical context, Finnish Press Celebrations, censorship, and 1900 revision
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eBible.org — World English Bible Classic, 1 Corinthians 3
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eBible.org — World English Bible Classic, Ephesians 2
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eBible.org — World English Bible Classic, Luke 6
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eBible.org — World English Bible Classic, 1 Peter 2
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eBible.org — World English Bible Classic, Nehemiah 2
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Bible Gateway — World English Bible, Matthew 6:10
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Lyrics
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