This thread title has been cracking me up. I've played in church settings off and on my whole playing career, most recently, quite a lot from 2005 through May 2008, but haven't done any since. I've started attending another church, with an excellent music program, but have not gotten back into the playing yet, just enjoying going and not messing with playing.
Playing music with a praise band in church is generally all about conflict, if you don't have a leader who is firmly in control, has perspective, and knows how to do it all well. I suspect those leaders are in a very small minority of churches. For all the rest of us, playing in church is an ongoing exercise in conflict and contests of wills.
If it's not a sound person, it's a keyboard player. If it's not a keyboard player, it's a musician who is right in front of you telling you you're too loud (because the worship leader insists they stand where they are.) If it's not a musician right in front of you, it's someone in the audience saying it's too loud. It goes on and on, just a lot of conflict of wills. Who's going to be right, who's going to get their way, and you have to back down. Blah, blah, blah.
Most churches want to be 'contemporary' but they don't want to be 'rock and roll', so the bass has to be kept under lock and key control at all times. I say if you are going to have a band/rhythm section, then cut 'em loose and let them play (within reason, not at 120 dB). If not, then go back to piano and organ, or solo acoustic guitar.
It's all about the conflict. I think that most of us secretly love the conflict- why else would we put up with it and keep trying to play in church? We like to push back, play with an amp instead of Aviom/earbuds, turn up when we're told to turn down. It's like rock and roll in the 60's, rebellion against the establishment.
For those of you bass players who are in church worship programs where you have good, strong leadership and the conflicts are minimized, the other 80% (or more) of us envy you.
