I haven't been asked this question in a really, really long time, but just in case you're wondering why our music is a little loud, or just in case you invite someone to Tapestry and they ask you, you can give them a great answer.
First of all, keep in mind that our Sunday service is a foyer environment. That means that not only do we want to provide a place for believers to worship and learn, but we also want to provide an environment where someone can attend church for the first time and have such a great experience that they want to come back. Remember, we want to create a church that unchurched people would like to attend, so on Sundays our focus is on making outsiders feel welcome. You can read more about the foyer environment here.
With that as our basis, here are three reasons why our music can be a little loud...
1. We want to create an environment that is familiar to an outsider. When a person attends church for the first time, we want them to recognize the feel of the place. They may have never been to church, but they've been to a concert. And most of the concerts they've been to are even louder than Tapestry! So when they walk in and see drums and guitars, and when they feel the bass thump them in the chest, they immediately get a familiar, welcoming, and positive feeling about the place. A long time ago, after a rather loud service in another church, a woman came up to me and said, in a derogatory tone, "that sounded just like a nightclub!" I said, "Thanks! That's exactly what we were shooting for! Because night clubs are full of people, and our church isn't!" I know, kind of a smart answer, but you get the point. It's for the unchurched!
2. We want to make sure the average person (who is uncomfortable singing) can sing and still feel like no one can hear them. Let's face it, lots of people don't sing in church. Why? Because they don't sing well, and they know people around them can hear them. And usually the lights are up so high that they know everyone can turn and see who is singing so badly. When the music is loud, people tend to sing more and forget about the people around them, because they know no one can hear them. And with the lights low, no one can see them either. Louder music actually encourages people to sing.
3. We want to maintain a volume that makes the band comfortable. OK, this reason is not as important as the first two, but it's still important. We have some of the best worship leaders and musicians anywhere around here coming to Tapestry. We want them to play like they mean it, and that means letting them rock it. Because if the musicians are comfortable, then their music is going to be even higher in quality.
So there you go, three reasons why our music can be a little loud. Now if a friend comes to Tapestry with you and asks you about the volume, you can give them three good reasons. Special thanks to Ryan Fitzgerald for helping me with this a long time ago.
See you Sunday, loud and proud!
