Do you dim the lights during praise and worship?

[aog17]

Just curious for those in churches with contemporary worship music do you dim the lights in controlled settings, use stage lightning?

 

[faroukfarouk]

Not where I go, we don't; in any case, worship is 'in spirit and in truth' (John 4), so I don't see how artificial lighting makes any difference.

 

[συνείδησις]

I have a theory that the presence of the holy spirit is inversely proportional to the amount of gimmickry in churches.

 

[Sam91]

Just curious for those in churches with contemporary worship music do you dim the lights in controlled settings, use stage lightning?

That makes me wary. It seems wrong to artificially change the environment to produce a more emotional experience. Especially when the darkness is something we are to come out of, we are children of the light.

We are also worshiping God, so why use much in the way of stage lighting? I just don't get it.

To answer your question. My former church (Pentecostal) was not dim but had a softer light and did use slight stage lighting but it remained the same for the whole service. It didn't highlight the people on stage but produced soft colours like pink, green etc.

The baptist church I attend does a lot of traditional hymns with some contemporary. I would guess a 60/40 mix. We have broad daylight and the focus while worshipping in that style leans more on reverence, gratitude and awe at how Great our God is.

 

[FIRESTORM314]

It sounds ok to me.

People can be aware they are being watched and dimmer lights can make them feel more comfortable to worship more openly. Less peer pressure and all that.

 

[faroukfarouk]

That makes me wary. It seems wrong to artificially change the environment to produce a more emotional experience. Especially when the darkness is something we are to come out of, we are children of the light.

We are also worshiping God, so why use much in the way of stage lighting? I just don't get it.

To answer your question. My former church (Pentecostal) was not dim but had a softer light and did use slight stage lighting but it remained the same for the whole service. It didn't highlight the people on stage but produced soft colours like pink, green etc.

The baptist church I attend does a lot of traditional hymns with some contemporary. I would guess a 60/40 mix. We have broad daylight and the focus while worshipping in that style leans more on reverence, gratitude and awe at how Great our God is.

I do agree about reverence; and this can't be turned on and off like a tap or a light switch.

So do you guys have some soft- (or even hard-) rock in your local church music?

 

[miamited]

Just curious for those in churches with contemporary worship music do you dim the lights in controlled settings, use stage lightning?

Hi aog17,

I'm not particularly impressed with the 'stage show' type of worship experience. Of course, I'm now a member of the older generation and that's probably to be expected. However, I do appreciate contemporary christian music. I actually like the contemporary christian music more than most of the old hymnal music, but there will always be the classics that are enjoyed by all. Amazing Grace, It is Well With My Soul will never go out of style for me.

What I'm not good with, for my own worship experience, is the loud volume, rock band, dark theater environment. Just give me a worship area with regular lighting and some Mercy Me or Michael Smith style worship music with a small group of musical instruments or even CD driven music played at a reasonable level of volume that everyone can hear the music, but it doesn't overpower the participatory worship experience. For me, worship needs to be a participatory experience. I want to sing and I want to praise God and Jesus and the Spirit with my own tongue and my own words and my own heart and I find that the rock concert atmosphere tends to not encourage that. Not that you can't do it, but because of the darkness and the volume of the music it just tends to drown out and stifle that participatory aspect of our praise.

When I have visited such fellowships that do worship in the 'stage show' style of worship, I generally find my self looking around and most everyone is just listening to the music and not participating with their own voices and acts of praise and adoration for our God. So for me, no, I'm not impressed with such worship style.

God bless,
In Christ, ted

 

[SkyWriting]

Just curious for those in churches with contemporary worship music do you dim the lights in controlled settings, use stage lightning?

Most do not. But I grew up in a church that did have an AV person do that.

 

[Sam91]

I do agree about reverence; and this can't be turned on and off like a tap or a light switch.

So do you guys have some soft- (or even hard-) rock in your local church music?

I have no idea. We have drums, 2 guitars, double bass, flute, oboe, trumpet, flugal horn, organ/piano/keyboard, some kind of penny whistle depending on who is serving.

Amomgst the contemporary songs we sing 10000 reasons (bless the Lord oh my soul), In Christ Alone, some songs written by the Gettys, to name a few. My church seems to pick lyrics over style. Biblical ones.

We learn about two news songs every few weeks during the time the parents are taking children to there different bible classes.

 

[faroukfarouk]

I have no idea. We have drums, 2 guitars, double bass, flute, oboe, trumpet, flugal horn, organ/piano/keyboard, some kind of penny whistle depending on who is serving.

Amomgst the contemporary songs we sing 10000 reasons (bless the Lord oh my soul), In Christ Alone, some songs written by the Gettys, to name a few. My church seems to pick lyrics over style. Biblical ones.

I think the first one is by Matt Redman. I do prefer In Christ Alone, though.

Sounds like it's the lyrics that you concentrate on and are maybe indifferent as to whether it's rock or not.

 

[*LILAC]

No, we don't. Although our church is going to be expanding and I have a feeling they're going to "upgrade" the stage. Not a fan of the concert style stuff, either. Not for church!

 

[FIRESTORM314]

Well - you can always do a survey and find out what they want. This way you've more chance of any changes being accepted or not. Once you've got the info you can make some better decisions. Don't ask us - ask them

ok - A little out of context - but don't lean to your own understanding

I just remember our church doing it very biblical and doing some rather exentsive study on a particular book. Come week 6 there was hardly anyone left. What you judge as being correct may not go down well.

 

[Bass4Jesus]

Just curious for those in churches with contemporary worship music do you dim the lights in controlled settings, use stage lightning?

The house lights, not bright to begin with because they're designed not to be, come down to about 50%, at which point complicated (DMX-controlled) stage lighting takes over, all triggered by cues in Ableton Live running on an iMac. The triggers correspond to a) who's doing lead vocals for a particular song and b) the song's structure, mood, and dynamics. It's all hands-off once it's programmed into Ableton. Ableton runs and syncs the click tracks, the backing tracks, and controls the lighting. Once a song is launched, it's 100% hands-off.

 

[Sam91]

Dark with flashy lights can't be good for some people with sensory issues. My daughter has autism and disco's stress her out. One, with the noise but I think the lighting makes it worse.

 

[*LILAC]

Dark with flashy lights can't be good for some people with sensory issues. My daughter has autism and disco's stress her out. One, with the noise but I think the lighting makes it worse.

Whatever you do, don't watch Incredibles 2. I didn't do any reviewing on it before we saw it and didn't realize there's a warning for epileptics and sensory sensitive people. Saw it in the theatre and surprisingly, my autistic son wasn't bothered by the dark/bright blinking and moving in the one scene. Now for me, I was the one covering my eyes! lol I'm not epileptic or anything but it was extremely annoying.

 

[Sam91]

Whatever you do, don't watch Incredibles 2. I didn't do any reviewing on it before we saw it and didn't realize there's a warning for epileptics and sensory sensitive people. Saw it in the theatre and surprisingly, my autistic son wasn't bothered by the dark/bright blinking and moving in the one scene. Now for me, I was the one covering my eyes! lol I'm not epileptic or anything but it was extremely annoying.

It is amazing what they can endure when calm and happy.

Also, if he was eating popcorn at the same time the crunching is relaxing and so is the texture of putting hand in the tub. The other senses can help calm my daughtet, which is why she won't stop suçkin that thumb and making pieces (ripped up paper) at the age off 11 grr. Lol

 

[*LILAC]

It is amazing what they can endure when calm and happy.

Also, if he was eating popcorn at the same time the crunching is relaxing and so is the texture of putting hand in the tub. The other senses can help calm my daughtet, which is why she won't stop suçkin that thumb and making pieces (ripped up paper) at the age off 11 grr. Lol

Right! My son must have popcorn if he's expected to sit through a movie in the theatre. At home he has more freedom to move around and fidget but when he has the popcorn he stays sitting. Aw, age 11 can be such an interesting time! Hopefully she can divert herself from that soon.

 

[faroukfarouk]

Dark with flashy lights can't be good for some people with sensory issues. My daughter has autism and disco's stress her out. One, with the noise but I think the lighting makes it worse.

Different ppl respond in different ways, I guess. When you figured that disco stressed her out I guess you didn't take her as often to a disco environment.

Everyone is different, of course.

 

[JCFantasy23]

I'm not against it per se but I've never seen lights dimmed for worship or service.

 

[Domnino]

Ive seen this done. I guess it helps, specially for the newer attendees who are still too conscious of there surroundings/self conscious during worship