Chris Huff at BehindTheMixer.com talks about church sound:
If ever there was a thorn in the side of a sound tech, it would be one labeled VOLUME. A couple of days ago, I talked about balancing the stage volume with house volume. But that’s not the volume thorn I’m discussing. I’m talking about the right house volume level.
My favorite volume story comes from a sound tech working a concert. A person came up to the sound booth and said “it’s too loud” and another person walked up after them and said “it’s not loud enough.” He looked at both of the people and said, “You two talk it over and let me know what you want me to do.” Funny story but it really describes the nature of setting the proper house volume.