Although most Alabama Baptist church leaders agree that good sound is vital in conveying the word of God to their congregations, many provide less than adequate sound systems and acoustics in their worship centers, professionals say.
“
Some churches do not seriously consider the importance of quality sound and clear communication,” said Gary Swafford, director of church planting and building services at the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions (SBOM). “They think if it was good enough 10 years ago, it’s good enough today. If it is still working, why do we need a new one?”
Since the purpose of the church is to proclaim the good news, speaking it in a way that people can hear it is the stewardship responsibility of the church, he said. Church leaders should make sure their sound equipment is up-to-date and functioning properly.
“In a worship service the last thing you want to notice is the sound system,” said Keith Hibbs, a sound expert in the SBOM office of worship leadership and church music. “If you keep it maintained and the sound technician does the job properly, then the sound system is not noticed and the concentration is placed on worship where it belongs.”
Through gifts to the Cooperative Program, Hibbs walks churches through the entire sound process, whether they need a new sound system or advice on the effectiveness of existing equipment.
“I feel as though this should be the first step that a church should make when trying to assess the needs of the church,” he said. “A lot of the churches don’t know where to turn to receive help in this area and this can save a lot of money and a lot of time.”
While meeting with the church, Hibbs will make sure that the speakers are located in areas that provide good coverage, the microphone and speaker junction boxes are located in usable spaces and the mixing console is positioned in an area that allows the sound technician to most efficiently mix the sound among other things. In addition, he refers various sound contractors to the church.
With more than 21 years of professional experience, Hibbs can also help churches correct some sound problems without replacing the entire system and save a great deal of money at the same time.
“The shelf life of a good quality sound reinforcement system is 10 to 15 years,” he said. “That’s usually when the equipment begins to deteriorate from use and age. A very effective indicator of problems are malfunctions during church services. The faders on the mixing console will start to crack or pop. Speakers will go out, cones on the speaker will tear and you will start getting a rattle or a buzz.”
Even before the equipment stops working properly, some churches become dissatisfied with their current systems and want to upgrade.
“One of the challenges that churches face today is keeping up with technology because technology improves the equipment so quickly,” he said. “For example, different approaches to wired technology has improved the sound quality of wireless microphones immeasurably. That’s one piece of equipment that needs to be changed every three to five years because the application of the technology is better.”
To help churches properly maintain their sound systems, Hibbs offers the following tips:
–Take care of the equipment that you have. “Have controlled access,” he said. “People like to push knobs and turn buttons and you can mess up the system pretty quickly that way.”
–Secure your system from theft. “Insurance agents and sound technicians tell us that probably the number 1 thing stolen out of churches is microphones,” Hibbs added. “They need to be stored properly. It is good to have the mixing console locked up or secured.”
–Avoid equipment abuse. Hibbs advises churches to always “make sure that trained persons are present when the equipment is being used.”
–Protect your system from lightning. Although there is no way to completely safeguard systems from lightning strikes, Hibbs recommends that churches use surge protectors to lessen the damage to equipment.
“A lot of contractors I deal with are continually going back to churches and reinstalling equipment that has been struck by lightning,” he said. “Make sure that the contents of the church including sound equipment are included in the insurance policy.”
–Get the system tuned when changes are made to the worship center. “If you remodel the church and change seat cushions or carpet sometimes that can affect the acoustic qualities,” he said. “If you have a qualified sound contractor to install your system, you can ask him to come in and tune your system. This needs to be negotiated in the service contract.”
Share with others: