I'll be honest, I love it when it's loud enough that I feel the kick drum and the bass guitar in my stomach. At the same time, I know that prolonged exposure to excessively loud volumes can damage my hearing. That's why I ALWAYS take ear plugs (or ear filters to be precise) to EVERY concert I attend. They reduce the overall volume, and filter out the louder and more harmful frequencies.
People have different pain thresholds as far as volume is concerned. The problem in churches is that for some people the music (or preaching for that matter) is too loud and can be painful sometimes, while for others, the volumes are too soft to communicate the full energy of the worship band, or Pastor Todd when he really gets going!
While much of that spectrum relies on personal preference and hearing levels, there are some basic guidelines that we try to follow; we don't just guess!
CLICK HERE to check out a helpful and informative link that talks about sound pressure levels, decibels, and hearing safety.
Hopefully this gives you a sense of all the little details that go into making church happen, and helps you be better prepared. I want to be clear that I would NEVER be offended if any of you with lower pain thresholds brought ear plugs with you to the worship service. We try to be safe with our volumes, but also keep it up enough to accurately communicate the energy and natural sounds of our instruments and voices.
CLICK HERE if you're interested in buying a set of ear filters that will protect your hearing the same way ear plugs will, but that don't give quite as "muffled" a sound. These are the same ones I use when I attend concerts; they really preserve the sound while protecting your hearing.
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