I like loud worship music.  Maybe thats why I have a little buzzing sound in my ears when its quiet.

First, I submit, my name is Mrs. Eli. I am not a preacher, a preacher in our family - my husband. But when it comes to music, it provides an opportunity to talk to me. I think God created us so that we worked together.
Today I want to share with you what the Lord spoke to our hearts during our stay in Russia. In American churches, there is one problem which, as we see there now and you. On it, we will speak today.
God created the heavens and earth and clean and perfect. But in the history of the world turning point came when one of the angels wanted to be higher than God himself. And God drove him out of heaven (we call this angel Satan). But in heaven, to exile, he was one of the most close to God and the angels was very high, serious responsibilities. It includes music, the angel well it looks into. When it expelled from heaven, he became the prince of peace, the father of lies. And Satan is the forgery of all of God. That is, if God does anything, the devil does the same, but vice versa. God wants to lead us to good, bearing fruits, life, and Satan seeks to lead us to perdition. And one of the strongest weapons of Satan is now a rock music.
Rock music has a certain sound, it is accompanied by certain feelings. In your life, your home, your church, it would disobedience and destruction. Here in Russia rock music sounds at every step, and as God’s chosen people as his children, we must learn to shut our ears and hearts of the music.
I would like you to burn some verses of Scripture, which reflect a house in the light of our conversation about music. This Iez. 44; 23. It states that the Old Testament priests were to teach people about that sacred and that nesvyato that pure and unclean. In 2 Cor. 6 God again tells us that we were separated from the world. We should not be part of something unclean.
Let us think that carries rock music. The first thing we hear it, this rhythm. Now elektroorgane I’ll show you. Hear? Today, on the basis of the rhythm written many rock songs. And unfortunately, the same rhythm is used extensively in contemporary Christian music. In America, there is a well-known singers who shift our Christian hymns in the fatal melodies, and is produced rock songs with Christian words. For example, the song “Jesus loves me”, they shifted to rock rhythm. In America, there is no composers who do not use rock rhythms in Christian music. In this rhythm does not necessarily produce with the help of drums, you can show voice or other musical instruments. I hope you understand that - all sin and unrighteousness. If a clean glass of water, add a little dirt, it will no longer have a glass of clean water. Also with Christian music: If we add to the rhythm, it will turn into mud. Rock the rhythm of Christian songs will have on your heart the same effect as rock-rhythm secular songs.
Satan is aware of one human characteristics: what comes to our hearing, be sure to get then in our heart. If we hear a noise day and cry, we are also beginning to make noise and screaming. If we hear loud, noisy music, she begins to act on our hearts. When we hear rock and rhythm in our body is the detection process. I have a book, which refers to the impact of rock rhythms on the human body. Here is an excerpt from it.
“Rock music - insidious weapons. Loud music causes nerve disorder. Arteries are starting to decline and impede the flow of blood to the heart is already in the volume of 70 decibels. At the level of 120 decibels people feel physical pain. A rock concerts recorded at a much higher than 120 decibels. One scientist, wishing to register the loudness of sound at rock concerts, was forced to withdraw from the building and move 100 meters to record the volume level equal to 90 decibels. Experts in hypnosis believe that the series of repeated again and again strikes may cause hypnosis. Thus, people with the disorder nerves are very sensitive to everything, as “advocates” rock music. Many people believe that rock music - the weapons of Satan, able to destroy the man as spiritually and physically. It damages the nervous system of unsuspecting people. The words of songs, often immoral, antihristianskie, talk about the rebellion, settle in the minds of men because of their susceptibility to rock music. The words of these songs are promoting a philosophy that can express the following phrase: “Do whatever you want!” Think caused by these words, destroy human inside. That is why thousands of seemingly normal teenagers behave like crazy for rock concerts, sometimes committing immoral acts, if expose themselves to action of drugs and alcohol. Music is preparing the ground for action, word is pushed to the very act. Rock music gradually becomes food for the souls of many people. Any music for a rock music as well as accompanying her culture informed that in the words of songs, for executing faces satanic and antibozhestvennye philosophy. At any rock concert or a party with rock music, watching human behavior, you can see the irreparable damage caused to their morals rock music. In the end, changing thinking man, and he ohladevaet to God. “
Satan knows that if he could take control of our hearts, he can take control and all of our lives. Furthermore, Satan is aware of another of our features: our hearts God has created receptive to the music. In the Old Testament, when King Saul was upset and sick, he gave David to play music that soothe the spirit.
When God gave Moses 10 Commandments, he spent long periods on Mount Sinai and the people thought that he forgot about them. Their hearts turned away from God. When Moses and Joshua descended from the mountain, Joshua said: “Moses, I hear as if War in the camp!” But came to the camp, they realized that it was not War. Just people from feral satanic music and worship other gods.
In our life, four things are inextricably linked. If human life has encountered one of them, then soon you will see the rest. First, if a person listens to rock music, this will lead to disobedience, disobedience - for immorality. And then people break a defense around his heart, which made the Lord, and come to such things as drugs. Satan uses words and the rhythm of rock music so that people are beginning to commit not inherent behavior.
Here’s another element of rock music, which is seen in Christian music. This is how singers use their voices. Through their votes, they cry out for sensuality. They stand up very close to the microphone, breathing directly into it. They seem violate your interpersonal distance, it seems that they are about your personality. That voice tells us disobedience. And in the Christian music used this style of singing. In America, there are singers who perform Christian hymns such votes.
Even in rock music is often used syncopation. It is also used in Christian and classical music. But syncopation produces the same effect and in secular and Christian music. Syncope - this is where the voice or instrument does not correspond to the rhythm of music, are in contradiction. This “hits” on the head, presses on you and brings sin in your life.
God is holy and pure, he can not look at what is unclean. And Satan with the help of “Christian rock music” was able to literally destroy the entire youth groups in many American churches. Christian rock music “is of the same disobedience, and that just rock music. It appeals not to spirituality and to sensuality.
Satan uses an instrument of rock music to win young people to cause them to spiritual destruction. Every day, meeting with temptations, they can not resist, because their hearts broken music they listen to.
But Satan does not produce dramatic changes, he has a gradual impact, but otherwise you everything Guess. Here’s Take, for example, salt. We have recently held Bible classes. When we are ready to eat, we, of course, it solili. But some guys sat around a table and dosalivali food. Why are they doing this? Because they are accustomed to have more salt, otherwise the food was unpalatable to them. Also with music. American musicians, calling themselves Christians, do not start with heavy rock music. They started with a soft, easy rhythm. And then they forgot and the Christian rhetoric. Just as in the case of salt, they needed was an increasingly heavy sound that their “spiritual appetite has been satisfied.
True, these musicians have an excuse for the performance of such music. They say: “We use the words of Christian purity!” Sometimes they take the words straight from the Bible, the word of God, pure and holy. And added to the secular sounds and melodies. And it should not be confused. God can not speak to us through this music. You can not simultaneously go under the rhythm of rock music and sing the Christian hymn. Ie can, of course. But it does not stand in the spiritual struggle, when you suffer life storm.
Did you know that your country is very clever KGB? They know whence comes sin. We have a letter from the two pastors who had a 11 and 15 years in the bonds of faith in Christ. And now that the KGB used to break their faith: 24 hours a day, day after day, they were forced to listen to rock music. In the KGB knew how the rock music can have on the human heart!
Dear brothers and sisters! In your country occur very difficult times. And if at this time of grace, when we still have freedom to speak, you will allow their hearts to be enslaved rock music, when you will need to stand up for the Lord, you have no power to do so. I saw the impact produces rock music on young people in America: it destroys lives, homes, churches. I watched as rock music is in your church. And before God, I beg you: Do not listen to her! If you have a tape of rock music, burn them, do not give anybody! This is just a sin, when the Charter calls the name of God, a heart filled with the music world. Please do not let Satan is used in your life, the church house. This will only disobedience. If you smoke cigarettes, what happens to the body? And what happens if you smoke “Christian” cigarettes? If you drink vodka, what happens to the body? And what happens if you drink “Christian” vodka? So, friends, and apply it to music. All that I listed, harms the body. Rock music hurts the soul.

“How loud is too loud, but how quiet is too quiet?”

Psalm 150 NLT
1 Praise the LORD!
Praise God in his sanctuary;
praise him in his mighty heaven!
2 Praise him for his mighty works;
praise his unequaled greatness!
3 Praise him with a blast of the ram’s horn;
praise him with the lyre and harp!
4 Praise him with the tambourine and dancing;
praise him with strings and flutes!
5 Praise him with a clash of cymbals;
praise him with loud clanging cymbals.
6 Let everything that breathes sing praises to the LORD!
Praise the LORD!
Although the topic of volume in church music has been a hotly contested conflict in the church since I can remember, it honestly wasn’t even on my radar until I left the secular music scene and began to use my gifts as God intended, for His glory and for the expanding of His kingdom. Many people have written on the subject, and many of them have great perspectives. So why would I write something else? Because I want to remind those of us that have taken the step to serve in this way what our duties are. When we present songs of praise and worship to God’s people and those seeking Jesus, we need to create an environment where there’s a connection to God, where people feel comfortable praising God. After all, worship isn’t about us, it’s about him. If we do something hindering that connection, we are failing at our duty. Music can be both, an amazing compliment or a lasting detriment to that cause. He created something in us as humans that responds uniquely to music like nothing else can, and we are to be good stewards when handling that “something.”
Rick Muchow wrote that music is too loud when it distracts from worship, when it is no longer musical, and when it causes hearing loss. Each one of these points is completely accurate and in line with God’s plan. Nowhere are we commanded to distract from worship, not be musical or cause physical damage to those seeking Him. That does a great job discussing “what is too loud” and while I may disagree with him on actual SPL levels, as I have visited Saddleback, this is where I would like to discuss the alternative perspective of “What is too quiet?”
In order to do that, I would like to reference Rick’s points; Distracting from worship, no longer being musical and causing hearing loss. The second and third point do not come into play as the musical part of music is largely discernable even at low volumes and a lack of sound pressure doesn’t have an adverse affect on the physical condition of the human ear (unless I’m ignorant of some new findings). So let’s discuss, what’s too quiet?
One of my favorite chapters in the Bible tells us how we are to praise God. That chapter is Psalm 150. I began this discussion with it because it tells us so much about how we are to praise God. Paraphrased it says, “Praise God wherever you are in this world, that God has made, praise Him for His works and who He is. Praise Him with every instrument and with dancing. Clash the cymbals loudly and let everything that is alive sing praises to God!”
Psalm 150:5 tells us to praise Him loudly. It says nothing of praise Him loudly, as long as nobody is offended. Praising Him loudly in church, I have found, can offend people. These are often reasonable people that just aren’t used to praising as we are taught. It is possible to offend faithful followers of Christ through playing music as God has instructed us. This is where the core issue of volume comes up in churches today. The problem persists however because the conflict is not being addressed according to God’s word. It’s a matter of communication and a matter of convenience. I’ll get to that point in a moment but first let’s look at how Jesus taught us how we are to address conflict between believers in Matthew 18:15-17.

Matthew18:15-17 NLT
15 “If another believer sins against you, go privately and point out the offense. If the other person listens and confesses it, you have won that person back. 16 But if you are unsuccessful, take one or two others with you and go back again, so that everything you say may be confirmed by two or three witnesses. 17 If the person still refuses to listen, take your case to the church. Then if he or she won’t accept the church’s decision, treat that person as a pagan or a corrupt tax collector.”

Jesus tells us that we are to go to another believer in private if someone sins against us, or if I sinned against someone, that they come to me. The proper way for someone to inform me that I have offended them with the music being too loud then, is for them to come to me in private and then tell me, (communication) not write it in a complaint on a card and have someone else complain to me. (convenience) The frustration that arises from worship leaders and musicians in the church comes from this incorrect method of communication by means of convenience. The answer to this problem is not fun or easy. It requires leaders and worship leaders really doing some ministry one on one with people. It requires people that will open up to leaders and worship leaders. With regards to time, it is easier for a smaller church and next to impossible for a large church. Those are the excuses. That’s why we give in to using “anonymous complaint cards” and why we harbor frustration as leaders. I can honestly say that God gave me peace the day I took those verses in Matthew 18, to heart. I no longer give weight to anonymous complaints and happily request any feedback from someone who is willing to meet me to discuss how I’ve sinned against them. I will also seek out those who I notice are offended by my actions, as we as believers need to be proactive in this communication as well. So now, how quiet is to quiet?!

The music is too quiet when it distracts from worship. When I can hear the person next to me as loud as I can hear the un-mic’ed shaker, in one of the vocalist’s hands, forty feet away from me, it’s uncomfortable for me to sing openly to God. This wasn’t because I’m uncomfortable with my voice, but rather because when I sang openly, half the congregation of 80 people looked at me. This honestly happened. In an attempt to appease the anonymous complaint cards that stated we were too loud, our worship team went to an electric drum set and set levels based on it at a peak SPL of 88. That day was considered a success by the leadership because there were no complaints that it was too loud. The act of musical worship however was sacrificed because the environment created, was one where the overall congregation was focused on other people and not on God. It felt like I was standing by myself in front of everyone singing. I am a worship leader and I’ve been a lead singer in a rock band. I am very comfortable with myself and my singing ability and I can say that singing in that environment was one of the most uncomfortable experiences I’ve ever had. I can only imagine how it would have been for the church member who wasn’t as confident. Connecting with God in that environment is difficult at best. When the environment is easy for people to let go of focusing on themselves and focus on God, our jobs are done well.  My research and experience has led me to state, that while taking into account the leaders relationship with Jesus is healthy and their gifts well developed, a dark and suitably loud worship service will bring an environment conducive to openly worship God.

Here’s why. When it’s reasonably loud, people aren’t worrying about whether or not the person next to them can hear them. When it’s reasonably dark, people aren’t worried about the person next to them seeing them. When these worries are eliminated, people can open up and focus on God. Whether or not they choose to open up to God is still up to them, but at least we’ve created an environment where it is “safe” to sing praises to the Lord, just as we are told in Psalm 150. The end result is the maturing of the congregation to sing without any sound. If you’ve ever been in a church like that, where the music stops and all that’s heard is the giant chorus of praises being sung to God, it’s absolutely astonishing. I still get goose bumps even thinking about those musical worship experiences.

You’ll notice something I stated previously, that the services are to be reasonably loud, not just loud and reasonably dark, not just dark. I said it that way for a reason. Each service is looking to appeal to a specific demographic, if it’s not, then the ministry isn’t focused and will generally have a small mix of all demographics or unwittingly appeal to a demographic and have a majority by default. That being said, your sound and light levels will want to match your demographic for the service.

The optimal decibel level for each congregation will be different. If you’re service is geared towards the elderly, a peak level of 88db during music might be optimal. If your service is geared towards the youth, your service might offer peak decibel levels of up to 120db. You’ll notice that grandma has no problem belting out Amazing grace from the front row, no matter how quiet the sound is, but that a 13 year old kid with his friends from school, tends to only open up and sing when it’s cranked. Volume is needed.
Rock concerts, for instance, are often measured at 130-140db. A clearly noticeable difference in sound happens at a change of 5db, with a 10db change being approximately twice as loud. With a decibel level of 110db, you’re still four times quieter than a rock concert. It doesn’t have to be a rock concert, but it should match the demographic. Dangerous volume levels have been another item of contention with regards to music in the church.
OSHA Daily Permissible Noise Level Exposure states that at 105db, the permissible level of exposure is 1 hour per day. You will not hear me say in this discussion that OSHA’s recommendations are overkill. What I will say is that OSHA rates the SPL for a power lawn mower at 107db. That means that it’s more dangerous for you to mow your lawn than to go to church with a peak SPL of 105db. Most churches limit their SPL to 96db.

There are also sound equalization and mixing attributes that are more or less noticeable to the human ear. For instance, the SPL created from my old truck sound system reached a sustained 142db. I felt that more than I heard it because it was a low frequency created by subwoofers and was tolerable, but a higher frequency at the same SPL would be deafening. I bring it up but these issues speak more to the development of the gifts your sound man has and aren’t something worth getting into too deep at this point.

So when I say that the volume is too quiet when it distracts from the worship of God, if we aren’t making it loud enough for the majority of the congregation to worship without worry, we should turn it up.

It is too quiet when the music is no longer musical. This point like the third isn’t really of a concern as music is noticed at very low volumes. Performing music though, is different than leading worship. The one point I do want to add to this is that certain acoustic instruments are naturally loud and the musicality isn’t lost as much the natural musical tone and sound. Anyone who’s ever run sound or been a part of a modern worship team knows what I’m talking about. That’s right, drums. Rarely have I ever heard of a sound man complaining that the stage volume was too loud because of that pesky acoustic guitar or obnoxious piano. The drums and cymbals are naturally loud and are meant to be played as such. I will again refer to Psalm 150 where it even tells us how to play them. “Loud clanging cymbals” don’t tend to go over too well with the anonymous complaint card writers though.

The ideal setting for us to play the cymbals, as we are instructed, is in an open environment. Large churches will fight stage volume issues with musicians but the FOH is usually capable of evening out that sound issue in large churches. Sound dampening movable walls and plexi-glass only make it that much easier. In smaller churches without such luxuries however, the issue gets compounded and often sacrificed is the energy, volume, tone and dynamics of the drums and cymbals. One thing you can do to help avoid this issue is with the sound check. The order you sound check in changes everything. Coming from a secular club and concert environment, I found that churches don’t always sound check properly and it can negatively affect the sound. Please sound check in this order or in a way that prioritizes the instruments in this way. Drums first, core lead instruments followed by superlative instruments with vocals last. And as with everything else, there’s a reason for this.

Because drums and cymbals are acoustic, they utilize a higher degree of dynamics than a guitar signal which is often compressed and changed by the fader of a mixing board. When the drums are forced to sacrifice dynamics, the musical aspect of the instrument is also sacrificed. It’s like asking a guitarist not to strum, only pick. Because the drums are loud, everything else needs to be mixed around them. The alternative is a mixing nightmare and sound checks can go on for 2-3 times as long as needed. 

I do not believe we should sacrifice the quality of the musical worship we bring by being too quiet. I do not believe we should sacrifice the energy we bring that is lost when we are quiet.

We get the opportunity to sing praises to our Lord loudly, I am grateful for psalm 150 and I am grateful for all of those who have heard their calling to lead others in an offering of musical worship. We must remember that the true act of Love is to serve and that serving doesn’t always result in being asked to fix things right away. It most often is a test in patience but with benefits far beyond that which we can see as God uses us to work in others. I’ll be praying for you and your ministry that God will be praised and that the lines of communication be opened so that you can show others God’s love for you through how you interact with them.

Psalm 150 NLT
1 Praise the LORD!  Praise God in his sanctuary;
praise him in his mighty heaven!
2 Praise him for his mighty works;
praise his unequaled greatness!
3 Praise him with a blast of the ram’s horn;
praise him with the lyre and harp!
4 Praise him with the tambourine and dancing;
praise him with strings and flutes!
5 Praise him with a clash of cymbals;
praise him with loud clanging cymbals.
6 Let everything that breathes sing praises to the LORD! Praise the LORD!

Kyle Hildebrand

Is respect lacking in church today?

I would say yes and no.

**All church groups are different and this may in no way be the case for your church group**

Respect of our pastors has been lacking. I’ve seen a weird movement in the church to lower a pastor’s worth. We find ourselves comfortable critiquing their message as we walk to the parking lot without actually digging into God’s word to really see for ourselves what God had to say about it. God put our pastors in their place of leadership for a reason and they are accountable to God for what they say and do.

Hebrews 13:17
Obey your spiritual leaders, and do what they say. Their work is to watch over your souls, and they are accountable to God. Give them reason to do this with joy and not with sorrow. That would certainly not be for your benefit.

God takes this very seriously which is why Jesus had such strong words for religious leaders….Read up in Matthew 23.

Religious leaders can also have a lack of respect for their position.

While we are all cursed with sin, with respect to respect for those put in positions of leadership in the church, (sorry couldn’t help it) you will see respect in a church group that is growing and healthy, and you won’t see it in one that is struggling.

Church leaders with respect for each other will work things out for the benefit of the people, the leaders without will seek their own interests.

So… yes and no. Respect is a value of worth held by one party in reference to another, and I only addressed the area I see as most needing to be addressed. I hope I answered the question you asked and I hope I’m not too vague!