One of my Texas friends, Luke, told me about the acoustical issues of their church meeting room (pictured), which degraded and discouraged congregational singing. The impact of an acoustical environment on the quality of singing cannot be over-emphasized. “When singing, the sound went straight up toward the ceiling and DIED," Luke said. "All you could hear was yourself, even if everyone was singing.” Problem acoustics plagues countless churches.
This disturbing reality prompted them to contact a certified acoustical expert, also in Texas -- a professional specialist who deals regularly with many different denominations and settings. When describing their a cappella singing to him, the acoustician responded, “Normally we deal with churches where the music comes from the stage and goes out to the people. But you are from one of those churches where THE MUSIC IS COMING FROM THE PEOPLE!” (emphasis mine.)
You'll notice in the photo that their church has taken advantage of the quarantine downtime to suspend reflective sheet rock from their ceiling at different angles to accentuate and enhance the experience of participatory, congregational singing - - ie., an environment where "the music is coming from the people."
I absolutely love this quote because it sums up our entire Praise And Harmony Ministry, which emphasizes:
Everyone’s voice is important.
We should make the entire church the choir.
Singing is not for singers; singing is for believers!
In other words, every member of the family of God is blessed with the command, opportunity and blessing to join their voices with fellow believers in song. In an age when churches are moving toward placing talented musicians up front for a well-rehearsed musical presentation, the quality of which is not dependent upon the participation of the congregation, we are thankful for churches who choose to invest in the very time-consuming, highly challenging work of equipping every Christian to sing, as well as teaching them the reason why.
Yesterday, I was privileged to lead singing for my home congregation with 200 people wearing masks. In spite of the masks, the singing was vibrantly fantastic! Of course, the worshippers’ hearts and attitude are paramount, but I’m thankful for the foresight of church leaders who invested in acoustics that encourage rather than impede congregational singing. What an honor to be part of a church where, “The music is coming from the people!”