Now, how best to address significant sound problems. The fact: today’s cars often have better sound than most churches. It’s time to change that. Get the sound people training, and get them the equipment needed to make things work.

You can spend days (weeks, months and years!) talking about how to fix sound problems. In fact, as a sound contractor, that’s how I occupy most days. The best (and only) way of solving serious sound problems is to work with a qualified consultant and contractor. Select these individuals carefully, and bring them in as part of your team.

And don’t criticize others on your team for things that - in all likelihood - aren’t even their fault!

Deadly Sin #7: Assuming the other person is capable of understanding your thought process. In 99 percent of churches, technical people and music people are like fire and ice. The logical mind and the creative mind. (Thank God for the fact that we are all doing this for a higher purpose or we would have killed each other years ago!)

We all need to learn how to communicate better. This is especially important because the way worship services are being done is changing, in many cases quite radically in terms of employing production. This requires more people be involved both as performers/contributors and in technical/creative support.

If we don’t communicate, we won’t enjoy what we’re doing and therefore we won’t participate. The church has a lot of work to do, and we can ill afford to lose people who desire to help out.

How do we start to understand each other’s thought processes? Drum roll, please… I know you’re probably looking for a magic approach or series of steps to achieve better understanding, but in my experience, it all comes down to spending time together. Hang out, fellowship, pray, study, talk, and practice together. Technicians, learn to play an instrument. Musicians, develop an understanding of sound.

One final piece of advice. I worked with a church here in Michigan - eventually my wife and I started attending there - and I became involved as a musician and technical advisor. This church had constantly battled technical difficulties and had learned to accept mediocre (at best) sound.

They moved into a new facility and purchased some pretty nice equipment expecting great things. Indeed there were improvements, but sound still wasn’t where we wanted it to be.

I suggested that the sound staff attend rehearsals, and after three months, the difference was astonishing. And not only did sound improve dramatically through better understanding and coordination, but we also had great fun!

Rehearsals didn’t consist of just musical practice. It was “practice time” and “small group time,” all in one. Everyone became friends and co-developed a shared, common goal of excellence through cooperation and understanding. We were all truly part of the Worship Team, and that sense of unity gets better to this day.

The simple act of inviting the sound people to rehearsals turned out to be the biggest improvement the music department has experienced. Most importantly, more than really altering things significantly on the technical side, it changed attitudes and opened up minds.

(Rob Stam is a veteran chuch sound leader and a system designer/sales engineer with Integrated Media Group, based in Byron Center, MI.)

Click here for Part 1