With Churches starting to think about meeting in person again, it makes one wonder how that might work. Suppose you meet outside, where you have lots of space for social distancing. You could easily fill up the front lawn with people sitting in folding chairs. What are the technical considerations?

First of all, you should consider the weather forecast. If it is going to thunder and lightning because a thunderstorm rolls through, then the preacher will be upstaged. And everyone will probably scramble for the front porch of the Church, where they will huddle together. If the weather is cold, then the elderly will likely skip the service.

Secondly, make sure that you have a sound system outside. Think of an outdoor concert. With traffic rolling by, there will be lots of external noise. You need a sound system that can reinforce the word spoken and hymns sung so that everyone can hear clearly, even out by the street.

Thirdly, consider what you need to do pre-service and post-service. Normally, people congregate in the vestibule to converse with one another. Outdoors, that will look like something else. Try to consider effective ways to pass out bulletins – e.g. via an electronic link. Provide coffee if that is the normal pre-service fellowship time, but deliver it to anyone seated.

Worshipping outdoors reminds me of Camp Meeting. There, you had a Tabernacle to keep the rain off, but plenty of cool breeze in the evening time. It was relaxing and enjoyable. Try to make your Outdoor Worship a time to refresh the soul.

In today’s praise, music is exciting and uplifting. But where is the organ? Churches with installed organ pipes were lifting up praise years ago. People were often awed by the majesty and power of the organ, as it filled the sanctuary with sound. Those organs still exist, but they are rarely used in worship. Why? Perhaps it is because organ music sounds traditional, and we have moved on to a contemporary sound. Or perhaps we have adopted new arrangements that call for a greater variety of musical instruments, e.g. violins. Some organs have a tremendous variety of sounds built in, but the violin is a very particular sound. Or perhaps we have just gotten tired of hearing the organ. (A lot of musicians would find that hard to believe.)

Another idea to consider is a technical perspective. Organs are often times very independent sound systems. The organist controls the volume with the swell pedal. A sound engineer is not required, and indeed they will be frustrated by the organ.  They will never be able to get a balanced blend because they do not have any way to adjust the sound of the organ pipes. Perhaps we should install some sort of over-ride sub-system, whereby the sound engineer will have control. But currently, all we have is the organist on their swell pedal. And the organist is probably wanting to be heard, so they will have the pedal down. Still, there are times when the organ should be used. What do you think those times are? For example, some of the old hymns sound best with the organ playing. It is because they are so familiar with that accompaniment. Other times, the piece was written exclusively for the organ, and hasn’t been rearranged for other instruments yet.

The organ makes a mighty sound in the sanctuary, and it is a magnificent instrument. Perhaps it still has a place.