The Organ Forum

 

 

 

 And I mean as a place to worship, not just as a place to play (though some of us would be doing both).  I think most of us have 'pipe dreams' about a large organ of some sort!

 

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'It isn't that difficult. All one has to do is press all the right keys at the right time and the organ plays itself.'
Yeah RIGHT.

Although I casted my vote, it is not an easy question.

There are pros and cons to consider.

A grand cathedral with a large choir and big pipe organ (100 ranks +) being played well, the architecture, ambiance, etc. would be just lovely. Such a church would most likely have the funds to have a large and dynamic music program.

On the other hand, as a congregation member, you can easily get lost as just another number in the pews. Or if you are just visiting you may like the option of not sticking out as the new person and being able to slip away after service. There's also a chance for more politics simply by virtue of the fact that there will be more issues, concerns, and more people. 

A small church would theoretically have less politics due to less people, you might feel more welcome because people will notice you and you won't feel lost as just another number. Worship would feel more intimate. On the other hand, if you are just visiting, you may not like being noticed as the new person very much. You will probably be needed more in the church community and there is probably a greater opportunity to volunteer somewhere, especially if it is an inner city small church.

While a small church may have a smaller choir and organ, there is something to be said for quality over quantity. You can still accomplish great things with a small but committed choir. The fact that one can only find high quality music in cathedrals and that small churches do not have much to offer is a false stereotype. On the other hand, cathedrals tend to attract qualified singers or those aspiring to be such as well as paid subs. It's also more inspiring to play Carillon de Westminster on a 100 + rank organ than a significantly smaller one.

These are all just theoretical musings from past experience on my part. I could go on but I'll stop here. In the end I picked the cathedral. I know that I can serve more people, do greater things, and give God glory on a much larger scale in such a setting. Since I will live only once and in the final anaysis I want to tell God that I made a gift of myself to others as much as possible, I'd prefer to make the biggest difference I can. Cathedrals also tend to be in downtown cities which means there's a greater need for outreach, and a greater responsibility to use the greater resources to help others less fortunate. So yet another reason to pick the cathedral.  

Whew! (Yes, I know, I have been told before that I think too much and over analyse!!!)

I'll stop now.

 

 

 

Why, I'd prefer to worship in front of the idiot box to the Ninety and Nine Club (local televangelist, Ernest Angley famous for his greeting "and a Happy, happy Jeeesus welcome to ya'all" )  I used to change the channel when he came on, usually to PBS.

Really though, I kind of like going around to all manner of different churches, even though I'm kind of stuck in the rut of going to the same ones over and over. This business of visiting all different churches allows one to experience different worship styles, and different organs and spaces.

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Once you can tie your arms into a pretzel and your legs into a knot, you've got it under control

I voted for the large church, although my worship experience has run the gamut from very small to quite large.  The smallest was probably one of the chapels on Shaw AFB, SC--some Sundays there were only 2 or 3 people in the choir and a dozen or two worshippers.  The largest is my current church, with about 125 in the choir and attendance by maybe 2500 to 3000 worshippers on a good Sunday.  Large churches have many advantages:  when there are many members, an activity that only attracts a small percentage with an interest may still produce a big enough group to achieve something--1% of 6000 members is 60, but 1% of 100 is only 1.  As a result, there are many different areas of outreach and a bigger probability that someone can find a group sharing an interest and a place to contribute.  It is, of course, often true that a very large church does appear rather daunting to newcomers and may even be perceived as "cold".  This is not unavoidable, however, and my church appears to be perceived as "friendly" by visitors.  It is not inevitable that one must feel lost in the multitudes, either, because there are so many smaller clusters of members working as groups that it should be possible to find one or more of those groups to belong to.  As a long-time choir singer, I had at least one such group ready and waiting any time I changed churches.  Another common focal point within a large church is one's Sunday School class--my church constantly starts new ones to avoid the problems of them becoming too chiquish.  (I don't do Sunday School--I've never liked it and my choir obligations make it difficult, anyway.)  My church supports a number of community aid projects and its size makes it possible to do that without unduly overworking anyone because of the available volunteer pool.

I will worship in a church of any size, but I prefer a large one.

David

I grew up on the Canadian prairies where most churches were small - thirty to forty in the congregation. I couldn't wait to escape to the city where the big crowds gathered on a Sabbath or Sunday morning. I find the singing of hymns by a large congregation feeds my spiritual self - I try to sit at the front so I get the full benefit of the congregational singing. Same for organ playing, I find it spiritually fulfilling to play for a large congregation, to hear their corporate voices. Alas, I now live once again in a smaller town, only one pipe organ, and so I make do and feed my need for congregational singing with CDs - like One Thousand Voices from Liverpool Cathedral.

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AG Man

I've been to city churches with multiple services easily capping a thousand people, and churches so small the pastor would go around and shake everyone's hand before the service began. I like the small town church.

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First they came for the ABC consoles, then they came for the older consoles. When they finally got to the spinets, they were all gone.

I voted for a large church.  Our church runs about 225 each Sunday and I would not want to worship in a church any smaller.  There are draw backs to each, but nothing sounds better than a large croud singing the hymns.

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Acts 2:38
Psalm 150 (KJV)

I will go to a cathedral. NO MEGACHURCHES LIKE THE CRYSTAL CATHEDRAL!!!!!!!

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Owner of a Conn 653