Latest / The Daily Writer / Whatever Happened to Singing in Church? Part 3: Environmental Factors

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Whatever Happened to Singing in Church? Part 3: Environmental Factors · The Daily Writer

• 0:19
  SPEAKER_00: Welcome everybody to the Born to Create Podcast.
• 0:22
  SPEAKER_00: My name is Kent Sanders, and I'm your host.
• 0:24
  SPEAKER_00: I'm an author, musician, and teacher, but most importantly, I'm a husband and a dad.
• 0:29
  SPEAKER_00: Here on the show we talk about practices, habits, and strategies that help us live out our creative calling.
• 0:35
  SPEAKER_00: This is episode twenty-five, and today our topic is whatever happened to singing in church, part three, environmental factors.
• 0:44
  SPEAKER_00: You can find the post that accompanies this episode, as well as all the links at Kent Sanders.net slash singing dash environmental dash factors.
• 0:54
  SPEAKER_00: This is the third episode in a five part series examining the important but rarely discussed question of why people don't sing as much in church anymore.
• 1:04
  SPEAKER_00: In the first and second parts, I shared why singing is an important part of our faith, as well as three cultural factors that have impacted singing in church.
• 1:12
  SPEAKER_00: In this episode, we'll look at factors in the worship environment that can make it harder for people to engage.
• 1:18
  SPEAKER_00: And I'll also share my thoughts on how to address those factors.
• 1:21
  SPEAKER_00: So let's dive right in.
• 1:23
  SPEAKER_00: Number one is the sound or visuals might be detracting from the worship experience.
• 1:28
  SPEAKER_00: One reason why people may not be participating is poor sound quality.
• 1:33
  SPEAKER_00: This can involve a variety of issues, including bad mixing, volume that's too high, poor speaker placement, and other issues with acoustics or distracting technical mistakes.
• 1:43
  SPEAKER_00: And to be honest with you, I have complete sympathy for sound engineers because it's a really demanding task and it's kind of a thankless job in many ways.
• 1:51
  SPEAKER_00: I've been on the receiving end of irritable glances and frowns when I've made technical mistakes in worship services when I've been on the tech end.
• 1:58
  SPEAKER_00: A related issue might be worship lyrics that are hard to read, too small, or not timed with the music very well.
• 2:04
  SPEAKER_00: Again, I totally sympathize with people running visuals because it's harder than most people realize.
• 2:10
  SPEAKER_00: But the fact remains that issues in sound or visuals can be a big distraction that hinders people from participating in worship.
• 2:18
  SPEAKER_00: So what can you do about it?
• 2:19
  SPEAKER_00: Well, one thing you can definitely do is invest in training and good, reliable tech equipment.
• 2:25
  SPEAKER_00: Get professional help in optimizing the sound in your worship space.
• 2:28
  SPEAKER_00: Also, treat your technical staff and volunteers like kings and queens because they have a really tough job.
• 2:34
  SPEAKER_00: Remember that those people can make or break the whole worship experience.
• 2:38
  SPEAKER_00: And I have to pause here and give a shout out to the tech staff and volunteers at my church.
• 2:42
  SPEAKER_00: They do a really, really great job with every aspect of lighting, sound, and media.
• 2:47
  SPEAKER_00: And on more than one occasion, I've told somebody after worship service that I thought the sound mix and volume were really perfect.
• 2:53
  SPEAKER_00: There's a variety of resources available on the technical aspects of worship and improving them.
• 2:57
  SPEAKER_00: Two books that I have found helpful are the Ultimate Church Sound Operators Handbook by Bill Gibson and Sound Lighting and Video, a resource for worship by Brad Herring.
• 3:08
  SPEAKER_00: And there are links to those books in the blog post.
• 3:12
  SPEAKER_00: Number two, worship spaces resemble a concert atmosphere.
• 3:17
  SPEAKER_00: Concerts are events where we go to watch people perform.
• 3:20
  SPEAKER_00: There's a stage, lots of lighting that's focused on the person up front, screens that magnify the performer, high-tech sound systems, and a band with talented musicians.
• 3:30
  SPEAKER_00: Most churches feature a very similar setup, so we shouldn't be surprised when, to a certain degree, people respond in worship services the same way they respond at a concert.
• 3:40
  SPEAKER_00: It's primarily a passive activity where you watch the performers on stage.
• 3:44
  SPEAKER_00: It's really just how we're kind of wired up to respond to concerts in Western culture where we're driven by performance and media.
• 3:52
  SPEAKER_00: Sometimes you'll hear people say the worship service is like a concert, and they mean it in a negative way, but truthfully, the technology, the arrangement of seating, and the overall environment of a typical evangelical church is very much like a concert setup.
• 4:06
  SPEAKER_00: It's hard to overcome our conditioning that's taught us to watch rather than participate.
• 4:12
  SPEAKER_00: So what can you do about this issue?
• 4:15
  SPEAKER_00: I don't think it's complicated to address this really.
• 4:18
  SPEAKER_00: We have to keep the focus on God and encourage people to participate.
• 4:21
  SPEAKER_00: Every church will do this in their own way and in their own style.
• 4:26
  SPEAKER_00: You know, every church sees itself as the norm.
• 4:29
  SPEAKER_00: If another church uses more lighting and media than ours, we think of that church as too elaborate or materialistic.
• 4:35
  SPEAKER_00: If a different church uses less lighting and media than we do, then we sort of think that they're behind the times.
• 4:41
  SPEAKER_00: So really it's all relative.
• 4:43
  SPEAKER_00: It's hard not to compare churches with one another, but we all know that that never results in any good.
• 4:49
  SPEAKER_00: The best thing we can do is focus on doing ministry in our context and in our church and make sure we're using our technology, media, and other resources to truly point people to Christ.
• 5:00
  SPEAKER_00: Now, I'm sure you're getting tired of me saying this, but I want to pause once again briefly and say that my church, I think, does a great job in this area.
• 5:07
  SPEAKER_00: We use all kinds of media, lighting, and sound and tech stuff, and we have super high production values.
• 5:13
  SPEAKER_00: However, I don't think it's ever out of line or ever draws attention to itself.
• 5:18
  SPEAKER_00: It's never intrusive, and all those things are clearly designed to be an enhancement to worship and communication in the worship service rather than the main focus.
• 5:28
  SPEAKER_00: You know, it might be a little discouraging to consider these environmental factors in worship and how they can negatively impact people's participation.
• 5:36
  SPEAKER_00: But the key is to realize what you can change and what you can't change.
• 5:41
  SPEAKER_00: For example, you probably can't change the setup of your worship space, but you can definitely work to improve the tech aspects such as sound and media.
• 5:50
  SPEAKER_00: You don't have to change everything at once.
• 5:52
  SPEAKER_00: Focus on continual improvement by setting realistic, measurable goals.
• 5:56
  SPEAKER_00: This is the way to create real lasting change that makes a difference in the long run.
• 6:01
  SPEAKER_00: In the next episode, we're going to look at several factors in the realm of leadership that can impact singing and participation.
• 6:08
  SPEAKER_00: I'll also describe some ways to handle these situations in a way that honors people and helps your ministry to move forward.
• 6:15
  SPEAKER_00: So do you think these environmental factors are significant?
• 6:18
  SPEAKER_00: Are there some that I have missed?
• 6:20
  SPEAKER_00: I'd love to hear your thoughts.
• 6:22
  SPEAKER_00: You can join the conversation and find the post and the links that accompany this episode at Kent Sanders.net slash singing dash environmental dash factors.
• 6:32
  SPEAKER_00: When you visit my site, you'll find all kinds of great resources to inspire your creativity.
• 6:37
  SPEAKER_00: I'd also love to share a gift with you when you subscribe to my newsletter.
• 6:40
  SPEAKER_00: You can check it out and learn more about my books, writing, and services at KentSanders.net.
• 6:46
  SPEAKER_00: I'd love to connect and you can send me a tweet at Kent Sanders or find me on Facebook and Instagram as Kent Sanders.
• 6:53
  SPEAKER_00: I hope that you'll also check out our Born to Create Facebook group by visiting KentSanders.net slash Facebook group.
• 7:00
  SPEAKER_00: Until next time, remember that you were born to create and designed to make a difference.
• 7:05
  SPEAKER_00: What will you do with the time you have left?