Church Sound Article Fri, December 05, 2008

Church Sound | Feature |

Saint Paul’s United Methodist Church, Tallahassee, Florida - A New Generation of Worship in a Traditional Space

By Andy McDonough, Photos courtesy of David McCord, Northlight Photography.

Summary

  • We were sold on the idea of musicians walking into the sanctuary already hooked up, just carrying instruments and music stands.”
    – Bill Wilbur, technical team member, Saint Paul’s United Methodist Church

The beautiful southern traditional look of this church in Tallahassee, Florida, with its with columns, decorative grills and trim, and pipe organ, has made it the most popular wedding location in town, but Saint Paul’s isn’t all about looks. Their recent audio upgrade was engineered to allow the sanctuary to provide a home for additional praise and worship services that cater to a more modern clientele, while preserving the church’s classic look. Thanks to an innovative design using wireless technology and innovative choices for speakers and their location, Saint Paul’s traditional congregation can continue to enjoy the formal setting of their 450-seat sanctuary, while their praise services continue to grow and sound great—the best of both worlds.

It’s an all too common problem: Churches becoming divided trying to meet the worship needs of a new generation while keeping traditional services and sanctuary intact. With the steady growth of modern praise and worship services that feature praise bands and the latest technology, it is easy to see how traditional houses of worship can become divided.

“WE CHOSE SABINE’S NAVIGATOR LOUDSPEAKER CONTROLLER BECAUSE WE WANTED TO BE ABLE TO ROLL IN THERE WITH THE COMPUTER AND EASILY GET TO EVERYTHING. IF WE NEEDED TO TWEAK ANYTHING, WE KNEW WE COULD HANDLE IT FAST.”
— Les Stephenson, audio contractor, MusicMasters


Andy McDonough is a freelance writer, photographer, musician, and consulting engineer based in Middletown, New Jersey. Among his favorite topics are the application of technology and music in houses of worship. He welcomes email at .