Many Christmas season guests are first time visitors, and sometimes, first time churchgoers. So we like to use special elements in our holiday worship services. These elements not only serve to enhance our worship experience, but are also a fitting tribute to the celebration of our Lord’s birth.

Special elements, however, usually mean special planning. Here are a few guidelines to make the planning process a little smoother.

First, assemble a worship planning team that meets on a week-to-week or monthly basis. There should be a reliable, core group whose mission is to brainstorm about your December format. This group should consist of a wide range of creative contributors. Certainly, the minister of music, or worship leader should lead the group. It should also include members of your musical, drama and technical team. Your senior pastor should be invited and encouraged to attend. If he/she demurs, strongly encourage input about sermon topics. It all begins with the message.

Once your team is in place, and a theme is chosen, you’re ready to start looking at special creative elements you may want to use. It’s important to create an environment where everyone feels free to express even the wildest opinion. Also, here is not the place to center on the reality of an idea – that comes later in the refining process. Don’t get bogged down with the technical impracticalities of a certain concept. Technical artists seem to have trouble allowing creative detours while they’re stopped at the intersection of nine additional wireless mics with only three free channels.

Three words of advice here: Resist. Resist. Resist.

The great concept is generally right around the corner from the crazy one. Wait for it. Enjoy the journey and worry about the details once the destination is set.

Now that you have a concept, take a weeklong break for people to gather their materials, questions, and thoughts. Reconvene with everything you need to effectively hammer out the details. You will probably want: a schematic diagram of the stage area, a diagram of the existing lighting grid, a list of available sound gear, a description of video and projection capabilities, a general budget for the project.

This second session is where the real work takes place. Here are just a few of the technical issues that will need to be considered.

AUDIO
The biggest issue here is usually micing. Do you have sufficient mics, or will you need to rent/borrow? There’s a tendency in our culture to think everything must be wireless – but is that really so? Talk to your drama leader. You may find her plans include a scene with an intimate conversation at a kitchen table. One table-top boundary microphone (PZM) hidden by a jug of milk will do the trick and pick up all three actors. The fact that most churches have small staging areas may work to your advantage. You might be able to get away with a well-placed boom mic and a little actor coaching.

The most important tip of all: test everything. Play the whole song on the cassette. Make sure it plays all the way through. Play the video clip from start to finish. Is the audio signal consistent? Does the volume require periodic adjustments? Did you write those adjustments down? Check every mic, then check them again. Put fresh batteries in every wireless unit before every service. Show every soloist/speaker/actor where the power button is inside and/or outside their mic.

LIGHTING
What’s going to be different about this special event, and how are you going to handle it? The answer may be a simple as adding a few colored gels to create a different feel or texture to the lighting. Experiment. Perhaps you’ll have to aim and refocus lights on certain areas of the stage to allow for isolation of a special element. Watch the video or projection presentation – preferably at the same time of day as your service – and see the lighting is acceptable.

If you rent lights, make sure you have enough free dimmer packs and channels and AC power. Intelligent fixtures can take numerous channels. If you’re running an older controller, make sure it is compatible with whatever you rent.

VIDEO
Video technicians have two separate tasks to consider. First, there’s the issue of what video equipment will be used to prepare for and run the service. And second, are you going to record the service live, and if so, do you have the proper gear to do so?

As far as preparation for the actual event goes, you’re most likely to be affected if someone has requested an original video that you’re supposed to produce in house. Generally, people have no idea what they’re asking when they have this idea. Thankfully, computers and editing technology are making this more realistic, but there are still special considerations for audio and image quality. Ask around at local TV stations, or even the high school and see if they’ll loan you a cameraman and a camera for a couple of hours. Some will as part of a community service type commitment.

Another question pertains to overflow areas. Will the larger crowd anticipate and accept watching the main service on a video screen in a separate room? And do you have the right lighting and equipment to do this effectively? If there’s some question, is it worth the expense of obtaining the gear to do it right?

PROJECTION
Special services can provide a great opportunity for themed graphics or even a stand-alone presentation. If you choose to do something out of the ordinary, make sure the images are not washed out and hazy. Try looking at a few pictures on the screen in various types of lighting and make sure you have enough firepower to pull it off.

GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS
If you don’t use an intercom system, consider renting one for the event. Allowing your technical operators to communicate with each other improves the flow, and forestalls a number of potential problems. We use a stage manager to call all cues from a central location and troubleshoot along the way.

And second, schedule your most experienced operators to work the event. When we consider the number of visitors who will walk through our doors that night, it makes sense to put forth our best effort to reach them.

Do something to show appreciation to the technical team. If you have two Christmas Eve services, serve refreshments, and pray with them between services. It’s a special time, and often, the operators miss the impact of the service because they’re focused on a task. It’s important to allow them the chance to worship as well.

Finally, remember the adage that anything worth doing is worth doing right. But if you don’t have the resources to present it effectively, less really can be more. There’s always next year. And all the technical wizardry in the world can’t compete with a visit from the Spirit Himself.

Neesa Hart is a professional production consultant, and currently resides in Stafford, Virginia.  She writes scripts, builds sets, and acts as stage manager, costume designer, and jack-of-all trades.  She has extensive set design experience in regional theater.  Nine to five, she’s a professional writer.