Agreed with john - there's definitely a point, but $1mm + bucks?!?!  To me that feels like one of those huge budget movies that delivers stunning effects without any real substance. That feels like the danger here...

i'm a praise leader

i say do what works, cut off all superfluous things.

in the end God is what makes you sound good, God is the only one i think who adds to the worship experience.

i went to passion 08, and i can honestly say that my worship experience there was not affected or assisted at all because of sound and lights. it was the same as at my home church only what made it better was i guess corporate worship with thousands of other people.

so in the end, get what's right, what you need, nothing else.

there are points for both sides, and I attend a small church that has an amazing system considering our size. I'm on the worship team and I benefit directly from the extra money they dished out for the sytem that we have. it makes it easier to do my job. period. I have better sound, I'm not struggling to hear vocalists or musicians. people aren't struggling to sing the songs because we use an outdated projector. proper sound makes it EASIER for everyone to focus on the one thing they should be focused on during worship - God.

now if light shows and media and bells and whistles are distracting for the congregation, then by all means, mellow it out. but I think for a church that has a diversity of age groups, those things only enhance the worship experience.

now could we make do with less? absolutely. there's nothing I love more than no lights, no sheet music, no projectors, my guitar and my voice the only instruments. the intimacy is beautiful. but is that conducive to anything beyond 10-15 people in a small setting? probably not. could the money go to missions and the poor and a million other good causes? absolutely! but who is to say that worshipping God and bringing His people into His presence isn't a worthy cause? who's to say that that isn't a mission field for a lost soul who visits that morning and is impacted by it? I think there's a limit and really that should be set by the church size, needs and budget.

Personally I would be against this.  Not because it's bad but it has the potential of corrupting the mind of a saint.  It's kind of like how John Piper signs away his royalties to all the books he writes so that he's not tempted w/ a lot of money.  Another example would be alcohol.  I don't think alcohol in itself is bad but it has the potential of leading to sin.  Expensive sound systens in itself is not bad but the more gray areas a church has, the more potential of corruption it holds.

For me, it has nothing to do with how fancy the equipment is, or even how loud the music is (which we have received complaints about when the youth band plays in the main service), but whether or not it comes from the performers hearts. There are times (most of the times I am in the main service at my church, actually) that I feel it is more of a concert or theatrical performance than worship. I have trouble getting into a worshipful mindset if I feel the performers are not feeling it with their whole heart. I know for sure the sound systems and AV systems don't make it any more or less meaningful. The youth band has played in the main service and it feels like normal, even though there is more working AV equipment in the main auditorium. We also had worship outside once, with acoustic guitars and an African drum. Even though we were by the highway and most of the people didn't know the words, it was still meaningful. So the equipment can add to the experience, but it mainly has to do with the hearts of those performing, and your heart as well.

That picture looks a lot like a church right here in GA that I attend.  Coincidence?

As a former worship leader and still a tech junky/ sound engineer, I love equipment, but has it gone over board, well it depends. BTW I've lead worship in both settings and must say that sometimes the simple equipment is just as effective as the most expensive equipment, it's just the movement of the Spirit that we're after.

Does is distract people from Whom you are there to worship? If there is enough people saying yes, then it's a major verification, but if there's just a few, it may not be their cup of tea. You know then again you can argue that God uses the smallest voice to talk sometimes so it may be that person who doesn't like it is correct.

@noodley@xanga - 

I live in a city of churches -- lots of them. And I work in a place from which several of these churches get their sound and lighting equipment. But, my coworkers are predominantly non-Christian, and I think their reaction to how much churches spend is worth note. I remember my manager wondering aloud, "What's a church need ten grand's worth of lighting for?" This stuck with me because I wonder not only what good the equipment's doing, but what it says (esp. to non-Christians) about church priorities. As a musician, I have a much easier time understanding the justification for good sound equipment than the lighting. My personal preferences for church size and equipment aside, I think the legitimate concern remains of how much is justifiable, and at what point it becomes a kind of excess or technological gluttony.