1. Worship shouldn’t be focused on the stage. A skilled worship leader points people to heaven—not to the platform, the singers or the guitarists. If the only lights in the room are on the praise team, worship can quickly become a spectator sport. God likes to hear all His people singing—not just the band.
2. Worship is not just about “me and Jesus.” Worship in a dark room isn’t wrong—but it makes it more about a personal experience and less about corporate connection. There is something deeply inspiring when a congregation joins in unity to exalt Jesus; yet this is lost when we can’t even see each other.
3. Worship is nothing to be embarrassed about. I can sort of understand the desire to dim the lights so newcomers aren’t completely freaked out by hand-raising or other exhuberant expressions of praise. But why hide the excitement? Jesus said: “Everyone who confesses Me before men, I will also confess Him before My Father who is in heaven” (Matt. 10:32). If we’re going to boldly confess Christ, let’s do it in the light where people can see us.
4. Dark auditoriums are risky. Has anyone considered the legal ramifications of this lights-out policy? Suppose a child is trampled in the aisles because a worshiper gets rowdy. What if an elderly person falls and no one notices until the third song is over? Even movie theaters have lighting in the aisles, but I’ve never seen a church that provides that. If you insist on turning the lights off, be careful!
5. Some people think darkness is creepy. The church should be a welcoming place that feels safe and inviting. That’s why we call churches sanctuaries. But psychologists tell us that people who have been abused or traumatized often suffer from fear of the dark. Can you imagine how these people feel in church if the lights go out and strangers are shuffling next to them? Caring pastors will not allow people to feel threatened or unsafe in God’s house.
6. God likes light! The first thing God created was light, and in the last book of the Bible we are told “there will no longer be any night” when Christ rules over the new earth (see Rev. 22:5). We are also told in 1 John 1:5: “God is light, and in Him there is no darkness at all.” So if heaven is full of light, and eternity will be fully illumined by the radiance of God’s glory, why would we want to worship in the dark?
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