I, too play in a church group, and at one point had the same problems you sound like you're facing. I really didn't know anything about live sound when I started there. We had no sound tech to run the board. And, we had a hodge-podge of low-quality equipment. Luckily, some of our prayers were answered and we were blessed with an experienced sound engineer. I took it upon myself to sit right next to him every chance I could. I asked questions, even if they seemed dumb. Over a couple years time the equipment was gradually upgraded to top-notch gear, and we learned how to properly use each component. Because I sat down and learned from him, I'm able to run the system if he needs a weekend off (i.e. I'm the back-up engineer). Don't be afraid to have a pro come in during your rehearsals and teach your techs how to properly use the gear you have. Talk to your worship director about it. He/she will probably not hesitate. There's a MAJOR difference between playing a gig in a club and playing with a praise band on Sunday service: the Sunday service should NOT be about the people playing on stage. If your equipment is distracting the congregation, than you should do whatever you can to fix the problem(s) so you can "hide". BTW: A pro sound tech will also give you advice about your mic usage / placements, speaker / monitor placements, and other good advice. One more thing... even if the guitars and keys are using amps onstage, they should STILL be mic'd or have a separate signal running from the amp to the board. The amps should only be at a volume loud enough for stage monitoring, not full sanctuary projection. If you want to chat a little more about this stuff in detail, drop me an e-mail. Good Luck.