A Letter to Pastors and Church Leaders

The issue is not the sensory cells themselves—they still work. The problem is damage to the connections between the ear and the hearing nerve. Fewer connections mean a degraded signal, like having fewer pixels in a picture. It is a loss of the "color" or "flavor" of sound.

Imagine going from a high-definition color television to a 1960s black-and-white TV. The picture is still there, but much of the detail is gone.

People with Hidden Hearing Loss may still pass a standard hearing test because they can detect sounds. However, they gradually lose the ability to distinguish sounds clearly—especially speech in noisy environments. Words become camouflaged by background noise, and many people do not recognize the problem until significant damage has already occurred.

When we think about hearing loss, we often picture the elderly. And indeed, we need to protect the vulnerable babies and grandparents. But the people I worry about most are the young adults, parents, teenagers, and children sitting in our congregations today. They are unknowingly depleting the hearing reserves they are depending upon for the rest of their lives. Every unnecessary exposure can silently chip away those reserves.

The older adults in our churches remind us of what is at stake. Many would give anything to hear their spouse more clearly across the dinner table, follow conversations in noisy restaurants, understand sermons more easily, or hear their grandchildren's voices without struggle. The hearing difficulties they experience today did not begin yesterday. They accumulated gradually over a lifetime.  The decisions we make now affect whether the next generation experiences the same struggle.

A Quarter Turn. That would be our very prayerful and humble request. Would you consider asking God about protecting your flock by turning the volume down just a quarter turn?

A small reduction can make a tremendous difference. Our simple message is:

"Sub-85 keeps your ears alive." Below 85 dB is considered a relatively safe long-term listening level. For perspective, 85 dB is roughly the loudness of a blender. It is still plenty loud enough to create engagement and excitement in worship.

Above 85 dB, neurotoxins begin to accumulate in the inner ear over time. That is why sound levels above 85 dB are regulated by occupational safety standards and accompanied by increasingly shorter exposure limits. OSHA begins hearing conservation measures at 85 dB and requires additional protective measures at higher exposure levels.

Our prayerful recommendation is simple: keep worship powerful, but keep it under 90 dB whenever possible—and ideally under 85 dB.

Remember that every 3 dB increase doubles the sound energy reaching the ear. While 88 dB contains twice the sound energy of 85 dB, and 91 dB contains four times as much, most people can barely perceive the difference. In other words, our ears don’t know when we are receiving significantly more dangerous acoustic exposure. And because this damage is not painful, there is often no warning that anything harmful is occurring.

I would also encourage pastors and worship leaders to consider a simple analogy. Loudness can be a bit like salt. The more salt we consume, the more salt we often feel we need. Over time, our tastes adapt. What once seemed perfectly seasoned begins to feel bland.

Sound exposure can work much the same way. Those who are regularly exposed to high sound levels can gradually become accustomed to them and feel that lower volumes lack energy or impact.

High sound levels can anesthetize your ears' natural warning system. In effect, you remove your own guardrails, making it harder to recognize when the volume has become harmful and harder to turn it down.

Yet many churches that lower their volumes discover that, after a period of adjustment, worship remains just as meaningful, engaging, and Spirit-filled. With God's help, we can choose what is wise rather than simply what has become familiar.

God spoke to Elijah not through the wind, earthquake, or fire, but through a still, small voice. Worship does not lose its power when it becomes safer.

We are not asking churches to eliminate passionate worship. We are not asking churches to remove drums, guitars, celebration, or joy. We are simply asking pastors and worship leaders to prayerfully consider a quarter turn.

If worship can remain powerful, engaging, Spirit-filled, and God-honoring at a slightly lower volume—and if doing so helps protect the hearing of the congregation God has entrusted to our care—is that not worth considering? If you were inadvertently hurting people in your congregation, wouldn’t you want to know?

Thank you for your willingness to think and pray about this issue. May God continue to bless your ministry as you faithfully shepherd His people.

With gratitude and respect,

The EarAware Team. We invite you to become EarAware!