The scene is set. It’s a Sunday morning, and the band is cranking through the second of a four-song set. You loved the latest Hillsong or Bethel song and things are moving in the right direction. However, at the back of the room is an individual you’ve seen before: the person who loves to say, “It’s too loud.”

Over the last 20 years of being a part of growing churches, I’ve noticed a constant din of people who complain about how loud church can be. Whether the music is blasting during worship or a speaker is simply turned on, these folks find a problem with the volume on any given Sunday. However, I’ve also noticed that churches that are growing and making a difference tend to run at a loud volume—it’s not an exception.

The reality is that if your church uses contemporary music to connect with and build up your community, chances are you’ve heard complaints about the volume.

I recently connected with executive pastors and leaders at some of the fastest-growing, most influential churches in the country to find out exactly how loud their weekend worship services are. As you can see below, a trend emerged: each of these churches tends to run loud volumes in their main auditoriums. Here’s a list of eight churches along with their speaker volumes in A-weighted decibels:

12 Stone Church: 92 to 95 dBA

Christ Fellowship, Miami: 91 to 93 dBA

Connexus Church: 92 to 95 dBA with peaks of approximately 100 dBA

Crossroads Church (Cincinnati): 94 to 98 dBA with peaks of 103 dBA

Liquid Church: 95 dBA with peaks of 102 dBA

Mosaic Church (Orlando): Approximately 98 dBA

Sandals Church: Approximately 98 dBA

Traders Point Christian Church: 93 to 95 dBA

Each one of these churches make an impact in their communities and reach thousands of people every weekend. So their practices beg the question: if these churches are running at a loud volume, what are they saying to those in their community that complain about the “noise”? More importantly, what can you say in response to the volume critics at your church? This is a complex issue, but there are a few things to consider as you lead conversations about volume control.

Quick Lesson on Volume and Hearing Damage

One complaint lodged against loud services is that it could damage people’s hearing. While it is possible to damage hearing at many different volumes, it requires more than volume itself. Significant damage to hearing occurs through a combination of the following factors: proximity to the sound source, sustained exposure, and dBA levels. Look at the chart below for examples of the combined factors required to result in hearing damage:

dBA LEVELS

EXAMPLE [ref]

SUSTAINED EXPOSURE FOR DAMAGE [ref]

85 dBA

Snowblower

8 hours

90 dBA

Lawnmower

2 hours

95 dBA

Inside a subway car

1 hour

100 dBA

Riding a motorcycle

15 minutes

105 dBA