Electric Guitars in Worship- Turn them up already..

I have had the opportunity over the last few months to visit churches as well as in the past, and I feel the need to write regarding the use of electric guitars and the volume positioning given to these instruments in many a church settings.  Only one church that I visited had what I would call proper volume and positioning of the electric guitar / guitars in the mix.  

Modern praise music is very electric guitar driven.. so, why does it seem that church ministries seem to be afraid of them? Now, you may be reading this and thinking not us.. I get it really; but just step back and reflect on it for a moment.

Professionals use real amplifiers and acoustic drums, versus Pods and electric drums.  There is a reason, they produce the wanted and pleasing sounds that modern folk have become accustom to hearing.  Using amplifiers in a church as well as acoustic drums is very manageable and possible with some fore thought and technical savvy.

Capturing and isolating speaker cabinets is a new art, enclosing and placing mics around a drum set is not new either. That being said, if a praise song is electric guitar driven and the electric is held back sonically, sounding more like a transistor radio sound; it takes away from the power of the song to open hearts. A bad mix is a bad mix! Hillsong does this well; many of their songs are electric guitar driven and have pronounceable rhythm hooks that ID the song.  When you see them live, the acoustic guitars seem to disappear, and when the song goes soft they are right there carrying the song. 

I also know that some of you are saying, well it’s not a concert! Sure it is, it is a concert of praise for the Lord; the voices should loud and lifted toward heaven as well as we should be playing with skill and the power of the Holy Spirit. I am not saying it is to be crazy like a secular concert, but powerful like a spiritual concert. Do you think that music in and of heaven is going to be subdued? Read again..

Stop trying to go halfway with the modern worship team, let your worship time be produced well, allowing for Spirit inspired music to be inspiring.

Peter Mueller is a graduate of Liberty University, a pastor and church planter residing in Cincinnati Ohio with his wife Linda and their children.