Churches all over the world have plans for growth, expanded influence, increased connection in ministry, and to make a greater impact in people’s lives. There can be huge obstacles on the journey to achieving these goals that can elude even the best of planners and thinkers.
A major hurdle that churches encounter is how to achieve the desired sound so that the listener can enjoy worship and hear the spoken word. Sometimes this barrier is a combination of room acoustics and the right sound system.
So what is the perfect combination? Often, the main focus is put on the sound system, so that the problems involving room acoustics are forgotten. This isn’t as easy a problem to fix as simply purchasing a replacement sound system. It’s what I like to call the “72 degree” principle of acoustics.
There is no doubt that people may feel differently in varying environments. My wife, for example, is “freezing” almost everywhere we go; at the same time I can be burning up. It is seemingly 40 degrees where she’s standing and 85 degrees where I’m standing just a foot away. Can this be possible? The answer is obviously no. My wife is not really “freezing,” at least not to death. She just feels colder or hotter at that particular moment. The most comfortable temperature for the majority of people is 72 degrees; it seems to be the middle ground where the too hot or too cold people can agree. The key to find the “72 degrees” for your room acoustically.
