What I am about to write is probably not going to be received well by all who read it. Please know it’s not written with malice or even a strong sense of aggravation. It’s just really written mostly out of a sense of wanting all of us to be intellectually honest. So, here goes.

First, you need to know a few facts. Number 1 — At FCC we run the sound system at the exact same decibel level every week. It’s the only thing “scientific” that we can measure in our service and know for sure. We do the tests. We know the numbers. Number 2 — No 2 human beings hear sound in the exact same way. Frequencies, pitch, volume all vary from one person to the next. Number 3 — People don’t always hear the same from one week to the next. If someone mowed their grass, went to a concert, caught a ballgame, visited Chicago, or got in a shouting match with their spouse they can have their hearing ability altered temporarily and sometimes permanently.

So, with those facts stated let me share with you what some may not like. On occasion I’m told “the music at FCC is too loud.” At other times I’m told, “So and so was holding their ears during worship.” Usually these comments come from people who have been in the church for a while. Seldom do they come from people who are new to FCC. That might have to do with the spirit of appreciation that flows from people who are experiencing something new and life-changing not something they’ve grown to accept as normal and expected (that’s not the part that might be aggravating by the way).

READ THIS NEXT PARAGRAPH AS A GENERIC EXAMPLE NOT A SPECIFIC CASE! IT’S NOT ABOUT A SPECIFIC SITUATION AS MUCH AS IT’S ABOUT A GENERAL THOUGHT: Recently, it was reported to me that there were people in our morning service who kept their ears covered while the congregation worshipped. Apparently they felt the music that morning was too loud (keep in mind that it is always the same). Then over the weekend we held a concert. The sound techs intentionally ran the music louder (that’s what happens at concerts) than they do on any Sunday morning ever. In fact, statistically the difference in volume was the equivalent difference between sitting in a car with your windows up in downtown Chicago (that’s a normal Sunday volume) versus holding a running chainsaw (that’s at the concert Sunday night). It was later reported, the same folks who had recently covered their ears during worship sat (smiling) throughout an entire 2 hour concert. Then talked about how much they enjoyed it when it was all done. Does that experience make sense to you? I’m not asking, “Do you understand what took place.” I’m asking does it appear consistent to you? It doesn’t to me.

Which then leads me to conclude this: Much of what we hear about sound and volume has very little to do with ears and much more to do with expectation and attitude. (There’s the statement some aren’t going to like.)