Whether your church seats 500 or 10,000, overseeing a construction project is a big job. For churches, effective project management not only requires great organizational skills, but a solid understanding of the role played by the companies implementing the new audio/ video systems.
“Consultants and A/V contractors should listen to what the church is doing, what type of service they host and not only listen to what they are going to do in the future, but give suggestions that will accommodate the church [and their future endeavors,]” says Matt Wheeler, senior audio engineer at Fellowship Church in Grapevine, Texas.
Kenneth Dickensheets, principal consultant at Dickensheets Design Associates, an acoustic and A/V consultancy in Austin, Texas, defines the role he shares with his colleagues this way: “Our function is to work with the owner and the architect to exactly determine their needs and what their usage is going to be, and help the architect and designer turn it into reality.”
Live! Technologies, an A/V company based in Columbus, Ohio, conducts design/build projects. For these projects, the firm wears two hats — those of the consultant and the contractor/installer. “The systems consultant acts as an interpreter. He is the person who is sitting down with the people at the church to find out what their needs are,” explains David Mead, CEO at Live! Technologies. “The consultant then takes that information and helps the church decide on the equipment, and works at getting the infrastructure in place. The contractor then comes in and helps the client execute what the client and the consultant worked out.”
In some cases, the involvement of an A/V consultant is a financial impossibility. Aaron Downey, audio consultant at The Talaske Group, Inc., an Oak Park, Illinois-based consulting firm specializing in acoustics, audio, and video, first discerns whether it makes sense for the church to utilize the services his firm offers before jumping into a project. “If it is a smaller project and they just cannot afford to have any designs completed at the time, we like to help by giving them recommendations.” Downey only recommends companies with which he has worked in the past.
Wheeler, who recently oversaw an A/V installation at Fellowship Church, is gearing up for another construction project. At this stage, Wheeler and his team decide what systems they require before contacting their audio consultant. “A lot of times for us, we need them to get onto paper what we are asking for,” Wheeler says. “But many churches are going to want suggestions from the A/V company, in terms of what they are going to do during construction.”
In order for the A/V experts to reach the desired goal, churches must also do their part. “The church needs to know what they want,” says Wheeler. “They also need to know where they are going – not just building another space because they are out of space – but how they are going to grow, and [what direction they are taking].”
Like architects, designers and builders, A/V consultants and contractors should be introduced to a construction project during its earliest stages. “Talk to them before you start putting budgets together and before drawings are put onto paper,” Wheeler advises. “In many cases, the architects have gone full-tilt and things are already being built, and the consultant or contractor comes in and points out that something is the wrong shape. Then you are putting band-aids on the mistakes.”
“A/V consultants should be on board the first day of design,” Dickensheets declares. “Oftentimes, the design is too far along to make corrections, whereas if we had been involved earlier, there wouldn’t be corrections; just a natural way of developing the design.”
Sheltering those who will be operating the new A/V systems from the initial design process is unwise, Wheeler notes. “You must have the people that are going to use the gear involved in those conversations,” he says. “You need to keep the people that are going to be using the gear in the loop.”
Downey agrees. “In many cases, there will only be a couple of people [overseeing the project,] and then when we are halfway through the design process they will start bringing in the people who have to work with the systems every day,” he reflects. “At that point, the designer is already six months to a year down the road, and now they have to very quickly go back and redesign.”
The church’s A/V operations team should be firmly decided upon well before construction. From experience, Dickensheets knows that not all individuals approach the music and audio in the same manner. “We have seen a number of times where the church is building a new space, and near the end of design or construction they hire a new music minister who has completely different ideas and expectations. He’ll come in and want to change everything in order to meet his needs. He should have been hired before the design was even started.”
For those who aren’t familiar with the cost of audio/video technology, be prepared to spend a significant amount of money. While no one has an unlimited budget, Wheeler acknowledges,: “You get what you pay for. The numbers are normally going to be big if you are doing something of any quality.”
Wheeler advises church committees to consult with other churches before the commencement of a project. In doing this, churches may investigate the references that A/V consultants and contractors have supplied, in addition to learning from the experience of others. Good companies not only provide ample references; they also admit their imperfections, according to Wheeler.
“A reputable company will tell you that they don’t know it all,” Wheeler says. “They tell you that they have made mistakes and they are willing to have you know that. If they say that they know it all, you are in trouble.”
Downey notes that churches should consider working with companies that cater specifically to facilities of a like size. “It’s important to make sure that your consultant hasn’t just worked on mega-churches if you happen to be a smaller church,” he says. “See if they have done projects [involving churches like yours.]”
Ideally, the relationship between churches and their A/V consultants and contractors is symbiotic. “The consultant needs to bring openness, honesty, and experience to the table, and be willing to take some time to really listen to what the church wants,” says Dickensheets. “The church should bring to the table realistic expectations, and a complete understanding of what they want, along with a realistic budget.”
Beyond that, the experts involved should focus on working together. “Everyone should understand that the consultant, architect, and contractor are a team – not opposing sides,” Dickensheets continues. “We work closely with contractors all the time, and together we look to achieve a satisfactory result for the client.”
As with anything else, construction projects involve a certain element of compromise. Churches can prepare for this by aiming a little bit higher than what is necessary. “There are always going to be compromises,” says Wheeler. “We shoot high because it is going to come down from wherever we are shooting. You have to aim higher than your goal in order to achieve it.”
Carolyn Heinze (carolyn@carolynheinze.com) works from her office
in Vancouver, Canada.
