Keith: Hi from Green Valley! I think we are just on the edge of realizing how critical these aspects are. I think that there is an expectation made at a certain point that the sound needs to be "professional". I think with a smaller group and a smaller room, there is more leeway for those "microphone moments", and people will generally overlook them. With a larger group and a larger room, the people in the back actually can't hear, and you really get a discontinuity in the service. You also have some missed opportunities. One that comes to mind happened a few months ago when our minister Jim was moved to "talk" over the invitation song and offer some additional words of encouragement. I was leading and had a handheld mic, and he was wearing a lavalier mic. However, the person working the board had muted his mic because they didn't want his singing in the board along with the lead. I felt kind of helpless because he (Jim) didn't do things like that much, and I know that must have been discouraging because no one could hear him. Not to say that the people running the sound don't do a great job - they do. It will just take some thought so we can all capture those moments and expressions instead of losing them. At GV we are discussing some ways to help take everything to the next level - and I hope Rex, Kevin, et. al. will chime in here as well. Things like building a raised production platform so the engineers can both face the stage and be raised above the crowd to always have a clear view of what is going on. I am also going to try and teach (and learn from) the other leaders about things like microphone use, eye contact, getting to the stage timely, etc. I think some training sessions where we can present the "ideal" levels, methods, procedures, and such (without over-analyzing it), the better things will be. As far as a leader style, I will certainly agree with Steven's comments with regard to the leader volume. I have spent a little more time behind the mic than some, and I consistently find that the more spirit and voume I sing with, the better and more spirited response I get from the congregation. For me it is a constant challenge to improve my voice and leadership, and to thereby challenge the congregation to follow and improve as well. When leaders hold back or seem to be unsure of what they are doing (or technical issues interfere), the congregation will be unsure as well. Keep up the great work, hope to see you in Bloomington! Thanks, Lloyd