What if old people complain about worship being "too loud"?

[Shaner]

What do you do when some old lady comes up and says "Worship service was much too loud this morning the bass felt like it was pounding me in the chest!" as she pounds her bony little fist against your chest ? and then at the same time there are others saying hey man i couldn't hear you this morning (i'm the bass player) should I just ignore them all, or just politely direct the elderly woman to sit closer to the back? I don't know what do you peoples think?

 

[myutmost4him]

This is a tough call... I've had this a few times and I find it amusing that it seems the same people that complain about the music being too loud are the same as those telling the sound-man they can't hear the pastor talking. I handled this by listening to the concern and told her I would look into it. I followed through on this by listening closely and making sure the worship volume was acceptable to me as well as a sampling of others within the congregation. Bottom line is that obviously you need to listen to the concerns of all people within the congregation and treat them with the respect and dignity they all deserve, but in the end, if accommodating one or two people means that the quality of worship for the vast majority will suffer, then I think a solution such as that person moving back a few rows or away from the speakers, etc. would be best. The trick is in how to present this to the complainant, be aware that it may be this person just doesn't like the newer worship style and would really prefer the volume to be nil.

 

[becky81101]

i completely agree with myutmost.

i do the same thing and tell them i'll look into it. and then i do. i've had people complain about everything. but all you can do is pay attention and see if everything is acceptable to you and a few others you trust with it and go on. there are a few people in our congregation who don't like it when i string 2-3 songs together in the same key. others have asked if we could string more than that! everyone is different, and it's not a matter of doctrine or anyone's integrity - then it's a personal call. and if you are the person who is actually playing/singing/facilitating than you do your best to make sure it's quality. you can't accomodate 1 or 2 people. we also had a large group of people express that we were singing 'too many mellow songs'. the worship team actually felt like it was something that was needed in our church. but because it was a very large group, and it wasn't doctrine, etc - we started to do more upbeat songs. you can't change everything for a few people. but treat people with respect like myutmost said, and you'll go a long way!

 

[talitha]

For me the question is not what do people like, but what music is taking us where the Lord wants us to go. We need to look toward the Promised Land, not back toward Egypt, not back toward Sinai, and not back toward the wilderness....... And when I say the Promised Land, I'm not really talking about Heaven - I'm talking about the place God wants us to take His Kingdom. There are prison and jail ministries and ministries to people who have addictions to deal with in our church. There is a prophetic/apostolic call on our church. We need music that will go with those things. Prophetic, modern music.blessingstal

 

[underthesouthercross]

dont worry man been young and having passion for god counts...dont worry about what people say unless the worship leader or the pastor say that its too loud then you should listen...you cannot please everybody..

 

[tpk]

well, underthesouthcross... are you playing for the worship leader and pastor, or the congregation, or maybe... God? The congregation will get up and leave if the music is too loud or too soft to connect. Please remember that God won't get up and leave... he can hear everything. But if people are going to be listening, then you need to have it at an acceptable level. Just my opinion.

 

[OoraneeosMuse]

Honor the elderly with the love of Christ, our primary function as priests/worshipers and encourage "open" communications with her/them as its better for them to be heard than to up and leave. I'd encourage the development of a open channel between the worshipers and the worship leader/pastor where people can feel comfortable with going to him/her and sharing their likes and dislikes. Communication is the greatest key in any family situtation.
As a word of encouragment, this issue has been going on for thousands of years... may we always do everything "as unto the Lord" and what we "do to the least of these, we do unto Him"

William
oomuse.com - the home of prophetic worship

 

[pdudgeon]

What do you do when some old lady comes up and says "Worship service was much too loud this morning the bass felt like it was pounding me in the chest!" as she pounds her bony little fist against your chest ? and then at the same time there are others saying hey man i couldn't hear you this morning (i'm the bass player) should I just ignore them all, or just politely direct the elderly woman to sit closer to the back? I don't know what do you peoples think?

remember that your first job is to worship God, and your second job is to lead others in worshiping God.

so if the elderly lady is saying that she is hearing your bass, then she is not being led in worship. and if others are more concerned with not hearing your bass then they also are not being led in worship.

ironically, both of these people are telling you the same thing. The sound system as a whole needs to be reconfigured, so that there is 'no bad seat in the house'.

 

[Filina]

Some time an old lady may have just a
bad day!
In that case all she needs
is for someone to be kind and compassionate
with her, and listen to her complains with kindness.

On the other hand if the church has a
kind of music worship she cannot
cope with, may be the best solutions
is that she moves to another church
with a different kind of "worship"!

 

[underthesouthercross]

my Pastor said that he waqnts it nice and loud for all the earth to hear and to rock this nation in the name of the lord....
praise god..

 

[Gwenyfur]

We're to honor our Oriheads

Listen, be compassionate and let her know you'll check into it.

Remember for their generation it's an adjustment to a "modern" or "contemporary" worship service....and change is sometimes slow and painful...compassion and understanding go a long way to relieving that pain.

G-d bless your ministry

 

[DrummerBoyJoe]

Well I get this sometimes, and very often It's just one person complaining so i think the best solution would be for them to move, but ask them in a polite way, instead of just telling them to move. Maybe one person from the band could sit in the congregation for one week and find out weather the music level is acceptable, and also take in other peoples opinions. At the end of the day i think it's whats best for everybody and not just one person. My opinion anyway. Hope this helps.

 

[sinfulman]

do bear in mind that as you age, noise levels that once were acceptable to you begin to actually cause you physical pain. That is what many elderly people suffer when they complain. To make this worse, there is a huge technological gap here too. When they were young, loud music was simply a matter of more people singing. Now, one voice through an amp can shatter windows.

One of the main problems that worship teams seem to create themselves is a lack of variation that means they alienate large chunks of a congregation. Drums mean that the music has to be amplified but drummers do not have to play on every track and even then, they don't need to play a full miked kit. With variation at the front, even when a song does, for whatever reason, not connect with a section of the congregation, they can trust the worship team to vary it so that they only need endure one track.

I don't see how you can be sensitive to God in leading worship and NOT sensitive to the people you are leading. Christ, the Head and his body are one and the same thing.

 

[talitha]

We have been dealing with our volume "problem" for a while now - first we put some flannel-covered boards behind the drums - that helped some - then we went to in-ear moniters - which I REALLY dislike - but at least now there is not a large amount of noise from moniters hitting the back wall and bouncing into the congregation just behind the other amps.... also the in-ear moniters have the effect of making the drummers not beat as hard. One more thing - our main sound person is a gal who likes things quieter than our worship team likes them - so she adjusts what we hear in our ears to be more rockin' than what the congregation hears..... LOL..... Personally, I prefer LOUD, much louder than what we're getting right now, but I suppose I can compromise. If only there were some other solution than those dreadful in-ear monitors...... not only is the sound not as good, and not only do I not like having something in my ear, but now I have three wires holding me down instead of just the one from the microphone. I feel like a cyborg. blessingstal

 

[Robinsegg]

You mentioned that you're the bass player . . . do you have a worship leader? If so, bring it to him/her and follow the wl's lead on it. No one instrument should overbalance the others in a band, just like no one voice should overbalance the others in a choir.

Also, when you get comments like this, you can let them know you'll voice them to the worship leader, so he/she can make a determination.

One more thing. . . some people (young and old) just like to complain. And there are others who complain about something that's perfectly acceptable. They give you no reason and no solution, but complain. That's not Biblical confrontation seeking reconciliation, imo.

Rachel

 

[flaglady]

I love loud music - and fast! It's the best for flag worship! Most popular with me over recent months have been "Dancing Generation", "Celebrate" and more lately "Happy Day" which I can flag to like a whirling Dervish!

However, a dear friend of mine who has been a pastor and elder for years and is now approaching eighty, finds the CWM very difficult to handle as it brings on neuralgia in his head. So I suggested he try some ear plugs and now he is much more comfortable! Must say, if I go to an ordinary pop concert, I always use earplugs! (But never in church!)

But mostly, it's been my impression that the older members just mourn for the old favourite Wesley-type hymns.

What bugs me, however, is when our young sound boys will play cd tracks whilst we're having coffee after the meeting but just loud enough to make normal conversation impossible! And that's nothing to do with the worship!

 

[SonicAudioDrive]

I am an Audio Engineer for my church, and we never get over hearing that same complaint. "It's too loud, I can't hear the worship team".....and so on. I totally understand your frustrations here.



YOU CAN NOT PLEASE EVERYONE ALL THE TIME!!!!!


Just keep playing for God, because He knows your heart and quite frankly, that's all that matters.

Just simplify with the complainers and let them know you will try at the next service (but don't make any changes) unless you agree with her.

 

[flaglady]

And how do you deal with this situation, Sonic? Do you keep it within conversation limits?

What bugs me, however, is when our young sound boys will play cd tracks whilst we're having coffee after the meeting but just loud enough to make normal conversation impossible! And that's nothing to do with the worship!

 

[Shaner]

I'd really like to thank you all for your input, it's all very appreciated, Now that we actually have a sound man at the back of the room who can determine how things are sounding things are better. I can tell you that we haven't received anymore complaints, I think she may have just been having a bad day or what not. Thanks a ton everyone! God Bless!

 

[SonicAudioDrive]

And how do you deal with this situation, Sonic? Do you keep it within conversation limits?

First I have to look at the situation and make a determination of what is best for the group I am running sound for. Older people have more tender ears than the younger generation and with the sound being "loud", it would not be in the best interest of the group, even if it's a "mixed" group. On the other hand, I have to make sure that it is loud enough depending on the size of the room (or outside) to accomidate that listening area.

On the other hand, a good sound engineer does NOT focus on the amount of volume, but on the clarity of the sound that is being produced. Being a sound engineer, there are many factors to take into consideration, not just the level of sound produced.

I hope that helps you understand from a technical aspect on how good sound should be.

In HIS service,

Sonic