A Letter to Pastors and Church Leaders

Dear Pastor,

First, thank you for your heart for worship. I understand why many churches use strong music volumes. Louder music can increase energy and engagement, create a sense of unity, and help mask distractions in the room. Your desire is to help people connect with God, and that is a wonderful goal.

However, our understanding of hearing damage has changed dramatically in recent years. What many people—including hearing professionals, OSHA, and NIOSH—once believed about safe listening levels is now being challenged by new research.

Traditionally, hearing loss was thought to occur primarily when the sensory hair cells of the inner ear were damaged. Modern research has shown that subtle degradation can occur even before those hair cells die. The connections (synapses) between the hearing nerve and the inner ear can be damaged by sound exposure, a condition known as cochlear synaptopathy, often referred to as Hidden Hearing Loss.

The reason it is called "hidden" is because people may still pass a standard hearing test. They think their hearing is OK because they can detect sounds, but they lose the ability to distinguish sounds clearly—especially speech in noisy environments. Words are camouflaged by background noise. Many people don't 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. Note that above 85 dB, neurotoxins start to build up over time. That is why anything above 85 dB is regulated by industrial standards with time limits.

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 works much the same way. Those who are regularly exposed to high sound levels can gradually become accustomed to them and feel that lower volumes feel bland. Yet after a period of adjustment, many people find that moderate volumes feel completely satisfying.

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!