PROBLEM WITH WORSHIP-ADVICE

[davemark]

Hi.

I'm a bass guitar player with a great ear for sound mix and the way worship should sound. I love loud contemporary joyful worship music. We have a pastor who is way too involved in how he thinks the worship music should be. He's a keyboard player and wants the keyboard cranked way up and the others way down. There have been many Sundays when I can't even hear myself....

My question is this. Is this just an attitude problem with me? I'm not egotisical and want to be a star. I simply want to be "a part". I have the feeling like "hey, why am I even up here if the congregation can't hear me"? I feel like just a statue sometimes. I know there's a point of submission to the pastor, but I'm wondering if I should just drop out because of this. Either my attitude is wrong and I should get that together before being a part....or they are just going in a different direction and I should just drop out because of that....

If you're wondering whether or not I've gracefully approached my pastor with this, the answer is yes and it did not go well. He sees me as a "complainer" and still insists he's right in the sound that he wants....

Maybe he's right.....but does that mean I should step down??

Anyone who's had a similar experience that can provide me with some wisdom regarding this would be appreciated....

Who knows? Any advice would be appreciated.....

 

[huntertim]

Wow... I hope you are not on the same praise team as I am.... I understand your pain. I would like to try to give you some advice.

1. Pray about your situation.
2. Because you have approached the pastor individually, you should set down as a team with the pastor to discuss this issue. If this problem is a bad as it sounds, surely the other praise team members share your concern.
3. I understand your concern for needing to be heard, but be assured that your worship is heard by God. That being said, do not let this problem stand between you and your worship of God. I refuse to allow a person, the music, the problems of everyday life or anything else stand between me and my worship of God. He deserves much more.

I have been in your exact situation and it took a lot of time to figure out. I had to completly examine my inner self to see if I was where I needed to be. As a leader, I feel that I need to be completly sold out to what Gods plan is for my life before I can lead people into the river. If you can worship through your situation, you will grow beyond belief.

Sincerely His

Tim

 

[KristianJ]

I don't think your pastor should be thinking too much about the right mix of musical sounds. His priority shoud be the preaching and faithful exposition of God's Word.

But to the issue of sound mixes, it should be up to someone who's been trained in how to get the right balance of sounds for the room that you're in. Sure a keyboard is a prominent instrument with a broad range, but all the instruments have to mix and complement each other. It's a simple musical rule. I agree with what Tim has said in terms of approaching your pastor in conjunction with the other members of the worship team.

But don't forget that what you're hearing where you are might not necessarily be what the congregation is hearing. At my church I know that I can't hear what the front of house speakers are outputting. Whoever's at your sound mixer should have the final say as to what the blend is, and if they have an ear for music it can only help. Hope what I've said helps you out.

 

[huntertim]

One other idea..... in ear monitors. These work great at our church and also take stage sound down.

Tim

 

[davemark]

Thanks Everyone...

Your advice was helpful. One of the problems is (and I didn't mention this before) is that everyone (but me) falls on one of two sides. Either they are the content peaceful type of person who thinks everything is fine and why make waves or they agree with me but "don't want to make waves" and won't speak up. So I'm kind of in this boat alone....As for hearing what is really happening, my "off days" are once a month and I do hear it from the congregation's standpoint and it just sounds awful. I'm very experienced on the board and have offered my services as a trainer but the sound techs back there now are not very receptive...they'll do what I suggest for a bit then change it back to their way. I've told the worship leader about this and he's just as timid as everyone else (he thinks-hey, they're volunteers, I don't want to scare them off)...So I feel like the person yelling that the Titanic is sinking and everyone's like "uh-huh, yeah, right"....

I appreciate all the advice, though.....

 

[swingnscream]

Thanks Everyone...

Your advice was helpful. One of the problems is (and I didn't mention this before) is that everyone (but me) falls on one of two sides. Either they are the content peaceful type of person who thinks everything is fine and why make waves or they agree with me but "don't want to make waves" and won't speak up. So I'm kind of in this boat alone....As for hearing what is really happening, my "off days" are once a month and I do hear it from the congregation's standpoint and it just sounds awful. I'm very experienced on the board and have offered my services as a trainer but the sound techs back there now are not very receptive...they'll do what I suggest for a bit then change it back to their way. I've told the worship leader about this and he's just as timid as everyone else (he thinks-hey, they're volunteers, I don't want to scare them off)...So I feel like the person yelling that the Titanic is sinking and everyone's like "uh-huh, yeah, right"....

I appreciate all the advice, though.....

It may not seem like you're getting any where, but maybe you are. It's possible it's setting in slowly but surely. Sometimes it happens that way, then almost suddenly they'll be ready to change and try something better. So keep on with a pure heart, and keep praying about it to ..and sometime or another they'll come around.

 

[steverock]

im a sound techy and i know what you mean about people wanting to be too prominant. pain in the a*** but you just have to tell the people truthfully what you think of it and hope they take your view on board. we've had troubles with the bass player at our church as they have a amp on stage rather than go through the PA as we dont have the suitable equipment yet to get a good bass sound, anyway, he had it turned up way too loud so either made the mix WAY too loud or ruined a good mix in a slow song so i confronted him on this and he's starting to be more sensitive.
i think it sounds more like the PA guys fault as they should be the ones controlling what it sounds like to the congregation not the musicians. they need to put their feet down!! get in their and shake them up !! if their involved in that ministry surely they're there because of a gifting and passion they feel God has given them (thats how i feel) so they shouldnt leave when the boats rocked and if they do it could work out better without them and with people who really care about it.
that my two cents, sorry if i rambled or its not useful but its something that ive come up against too so i thought id give it a go.