As the director of a church, you may be required to determine what musical organs best fit your church's needs. If you're just getting your church started, remodeling it, or simply need to replace your existing organ, you'll need to explore your choices and decide upon an organ that sounds great and fits your budget.

Think about the following things before you set out to buy your organ musical instruments:

1. Consider the size of your church's building. Some instrumental organs can be very large and may not fit in your church.

2. Think about how much money your church has to spend. The models made by some musical organ manufacturers will be more affordable than others.

3. Figure out the acoustical attributes of your church's building. This will help you decide which types of musical organs are right for your location.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Check out traditional pipe organs

If you have a large church and a great deal of money in your coffers, a pipe organ is the way to go. The sound of a pipe organ is unique and resonates throughout the church without the need for microphone enhancement. These beautiful instruments are the most commonly used in traditional churches.

I recommend: Consider having a custom organ installed in your church by Buzard Pipe Organ Builders. Take a look at the projects the Peragallo Organ Company has worked on and arrange for a free consultation.

Try out a more modern electronic organ

Electric musical organs are great for churches that are small and working with a limited budget. The sound coming from these organs isn't as authentic as a traditional pipe organ nor is it as strong, but they can definitely work in churches that are more progressive and modern. You may need to install microphones, amplifiers and speakers to broadcast the music across your church.

I recommend: Choose an organ from the Lowrey Organ Company, which offers a few different models to pick from, depending on your organist's skill level. Opt for a used Hammond organ from Puget Sound Organ Service; Hammond is arguably the best brand of electronic organ available.

Consider a pipe digital organ

A new spin on the classical organ, these organs look just like traditional pipe models and sound very similar, whereas an electronic organ has a less pure sound to it. These organs have a multitude of samples taken from real pipe organs that are then digitized and programmed into the organ. There are some organs that are actually a combination of pipe and digital components.

I recommend: Customize a digital organ to your specifications at DL Simmons & Company Church Organs. Browse the selection of combination organs available from Allen Organ Company.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  There are other types of musical organs out there that may interest you. For example, the reed organ is no longer in production and doesn't offer a great range of tone, but its antiquated sound may prove charming in a smaller church.