What "By Faith" means
"By Faith" by Keith Getty and Stuart Townend is a contemporary hymn that walks the congregation through Hebrews 11's "Hall of Faith," tracing the journey of God's people from Abraham to Moses to the prophets to the present-day church, and naming faith itself as the connective tissue across every generation. The Getty-Townend partnership released it in 2009 on "Awaken the Dawn," and the song has become a staple in modern hymn singing across denominations, used in Reformed, evangelical, and Anglican rooms with equal frequency. In D (B for female lead) at 86 bpm in 4/4, it sits at a marching, dignified hymn tempo that supports its sweeping narrative without rushing it. The scriptural backbone is the entire arc of Hebrews 11:1 through 12:2, with Romans 4:20-21 and 2 Corinthians 5:7 supplying the working definition of faith underneath. What follows is what this hymn does when a contemporary congregation actually sings it.
What this song does in a room
The hymn does memory work. By the second verse, the congregation has been reminded that they are not the first to walk by faith and not the last, and the song's pastoral effect is to shrink the singer's loneliness. The line "we will stand as children of the promise" lands differently when the congregation has just sung about Abraham, Moses, and the prophets who walked the same road. The final verse, with its "this mountain shall be moved" declaration, often produces a noticeable lift in the room, not because the music swells (though it does) but because the congregation is being asked to take their place in the line of witnesses and act on the faith they have just been singing about. A room that sings this song well leaves the service with the sense that they are part of something older and larger than this Sunday.
What this song is saying about God
The God of "By Faith" is the covenant God who has been keeping his promises across generations, and whose faithfulness is the precondition for human faith. The hymn does not portray faith as the believer's heroic act. It portrays faith as the believer's confident response to a God who has shown himself trustworthy in every generation of his people. The song's God is sovereign and patient, capable of bringing his purposes to completion over centuries, and the song asks the congregation to trust that the same God will complete his purposes in their generation too. There is a deep doctrine of perseverance here. The saints of Hebrews 11 endured because God was faithful, and the same faithfulness underwrites the contemporary church's perseverance.
Scriptural backbone
Hebrews 11:1 supplies the working definition: "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen." Hebrews 12:1-2 supplies the cloud of witnesses image the entire hymn rests on: "Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith." Romans 4:20-21 names Abraham's posture: "No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised." 2 Corinthians 5:7 names the present-day posture: "For we walk by faith, not by sight."
How to use it in a service
This hymn fits any service preaching from Hebrews 11, and any service marking generational continuity: heritage Sundays, anniversary Sundays, ordinations, commissioning of missionaries or church planters, and confirmation or baptism services where the congregation is welcoming new members into the long line of the church. It also works powerfully on All Saints' Sunday or in a service that remembers departed members of the congregation, because the cloud of witnesses includes the people the congregation actually misses. The final verse functions as a sending, so the hymn is a natural closing song for any service emphasizing courage, mission, or perseverance. Avoid using it as filler, because the song's narrative arc needs space and a careful introduction to land its full weight.
Things to watch for as the worship leader
The hymn is long. Four verses plus a chorus, with the full narrative arc requiring all four to make sense, and trimming any verse will weaken the song's pastoral effect. Plan for the length and trust the congregation to follow you through it. Second, the language is dense. Phrases like "the promise of his name" and "the company of those who've come before" reward a congregation that has time to process the lyric, so avoid rushing the tempo. 86 bpm is correct, do not push past it. Third, the final verse is the climax both lyrically and musically, and the band's instinct will be to crescendo through verses three and four. Hold the dynamic back through verse three so verse four has somewhere to go. Fourth, the key change before the final verse is optional but effective if your band can execute it cleanly. A botched modulation kills the climax, so rehearse it carefully or skip it.
A note for the team behind you (techs, vocalists, band)
FOH engineer, this hymn wants a full, warm mix with strong vocals and clear acoustic guitar. The arrangement builds across four verses, so manage the dynamic carefully: pull the band back through verses one and two, add layers in verse three, and bring everything up in verse four. The vocal bus needs headroom for the final verse. Vocalists, BGVs are essential here, the hymn benefits from a strong stack on the chorus and a four-part choral feel on verse four if you have the voices. Lead, sing the verses with restraint, save the projection for the final stanza. Band, drummer, the marching hymn feel wants a steady kick pulse and a confident snare backbeat, no fills until the bridge or final verse. Bass, root motion through the verses, walk only in the chorus and the lift into verse four. Acoustic guitar, this is the foundation, strong steady strums, do not let the pattern drift. Piano, you carry the harmonic motion, especially in the verses where the band is held back. Electric guitar, pads through the verses, a clean lead line in the chorus, full chords in the final verse. If you have strings or brass, the final verse is where they earn their place.