Prof Gibson, of Dunedin, has been invited to speak at a hymn society conference in Berkeley, California, and the British Hymn Society in Liverpool, England.
The invitations are the result of his work editing a New Zealand and Australian history of hymn writing and composing for an update of a 19th century European dictionary of hymns which would soon include writings from around the world.
"It'll be a monster volume of well over 1000 pages," he said.
Prof Gibson had been working on the project for five years, detailing not only the history, but also biographies of writers and the backgrounds of significant hymns, like his own He Came Singing Love or Kapiti writer Shirley Murray's Brother, Sister Let Me Serve You.
The dictionary was due to be published early next year by Canterbury Press in England and Eerdman's Press, United States.
At the conference in Liverpool, Prof Gibson would speak about New Zealand hymn writers' special voice and how they slowly broke away from the habit of copying the English to develop their own plain and natural way of writing.
"We emerged from the shadow to stand tall with a special tone of voice," he said.
Hymns featured things special to New Zealanders, such as dolphins and the concern for the natural world.
At the US conference, which would be attended by several thousand composers, writers and publishers from North America, he planned to talk about how New Zealand hymn writers had tried to honour our native language.
"New Zealand has been at the forefront. Pakeha cheerfully sing in Maori just as Pakeha hymns are sung by Maori."
They also showed New Zealanders' social alertness by dealing with issues of justice and equality, as well as their keen interest in ecology and landscape.
Also attending the conference was New Zealand's Hymn Book Trust and Bill Wallace, of Christchurch, would be there with his latest collection of hymns.
Prof Gibson leaves for the conferences on July 13.
