It’s been quite a while since theatrical lighting has been used to enhance the worship experience. These days, many contemporary churches are experimenting with elements normally associated with the secular world to engage with younger congregations. This is becoming easier, thanks to a combination of technological advancements and decreasing prices.
For Aaron Spencer, theatrical lighting in church is an accent piece. Every Monday, in his role as production director at Trinity Baptist Church in Jacksonville, Fla., he meets with the worship team to learn what the weekly sermon will focus on, what passages of Scripture will be presented, as well as the musical selections for that week. “From there, [I ask myself], what can I do with our lighting to best help tell this story and create a mood that follows along with the music we’re using?” he relays. “[I want lighting] that can help with telling the story and conveying the message.”
Lighting Experiences
Three years ago, Trinity Baptist upgraded its lighting system in an effort to deliver a more sophisticated production. Prior to the upgrade, Spencer explains that he and his crew were using broad spectrum wash lights that did little more than light the stage. Trinity recently acquired several ETC Source Four lekos, “which can give us a more specific wash. We can do that wide wash, but they also give us the opportunity to do spots and to be able to isolate certain areas,” he says. The church has also added colored LED fixtures that serve to enhance the mood of the message, depending on what the worship team is focusing on during any given service.
“As we’ve added LED video walls, it’s required our color temperature to be increased so that the colors on the LED wall are translated correctly to the camera and broadcast out to our other locations and online. ”
—Patrick Hentz, Lighting Designer, Church of the Highlands, Birmingham, AL.
Church of the Highlands recently changed out its front wash system at its main campus in Birmingham, Ala. The new system is comprised of Martin MAC Encore fixtures, which are LED-driven. “I’m not having to worry about bulbs blowing out in the middle of a service,” says Patrick Hentz, the church’s lighting designer. With conventional fixtures, he explains, there was always the risk of having a lamp blow, resulting in a flash and then a dark spot on the stage. “Having this consistent product has been incredible––it’s a huge advancement.”
The LED fixtures work well in tandem with Highlands’ video walls, which are the campus’ central scenic element. “As we’ve added LED video walls, it’s required our color temperature to be increased so that the colors on the LED wall are translated correctly to the camera and broadcast out to our other locations and online,” Hentz explains. He says that this mandates a color temperature of 6,000 degrees Kelvin––something the church couldn’t achieve with conventional fixtures.
The color quality that LEDs now deliver is also significant, notes Tim Moser, lighting designer at Lives Changed by Christ (LCBC) in Manheim, Penn. “You can get gorgeous, deep, rich colors that you couldn’t get before,” he says. Moser also points out that fixtures have become increasingly versatile, which is practical for churches on a budget. He cites the Elation Platinum FLX fixtures in LCBC’s rig as an example: “I can get a narrow beam with it, it can be a wash, it can be a spot, and it’s a mover with an animation wheel inside,” he says, urging churches to seek out the most versatile fixtures they can find.
River Hills Christian Church in Loveland, Ohio, has 10 moving fixtures from Vari-Lite, which are a combination of ellipsoidals for wide beams, effects, and wash lights, as well as six Martin fixtures for effects, spot lighting and coloring the stage. “The moving fixtures allow for us to add some dramatic flair, along with allowing [for] versatility on stage,” explains Tim Rogers, head light technician at the church. “People move around, [and] we can do dramas and different types of singing arrangements without a significant amount of work. Also, the use of these fixtures allows for us to add a lot of emotional elements, such as movements and dramatic color changes at the right point in a song.”
Rogers notes that, overall, the costs of fixtures with more advanced features is decreasing, making them more accessible to budget-conscious churches that seek to enhance the worship experience they’re offering. “The LED technology getting cheaper has made it more attainable, and as a result, I can do a lot more back lighting where I couldn’t have before because the traditional ellipsoidals and par cans take up too much space,” he says. “I can get an LED that’s two inches thick and I can put it in places that I wouldn’t have been able to before, and I can do it affordably.”
Environmental Immersion
One of the trends Spencer is excited about is the application of environmental lighting in churches, which he believes offers the opportunity to further engage the congregation with what is happening on stage. “By bringing that color in the room, you’re really making the congregation feel like they’re closer to the stage, closer to the performance, closer to everything that’s going on,” Spencer says. By drawing people in closer, the he believes that entire worship experience is more cohesive.
“By bringing that color in the room, you’re really making the congregation feel like they’re closer to the stage, closer to the performance, closer to everything that’s going on.”
—Aaron Spencer, Production Director, Trinity Baptist Church, Jacksonville, FL.
While the purchase of theatrical lighting can be intimidating to many churches–—especially those with more modest budgets—Spencer reminds us that a lot can be done with just a few elements. “Start small, add some color here or there to make the room pop in some areas to help with the moods of the songs,” he offers. Doing something as simple as darkening the house lights makes the theatrical lighting stand out. “You can do so much with so little these days––three or four lights, a lot of times, can make such an impact. And it’s a good place to start so that you can whet the appetites of the people in your church to maybe do more down the line,” Spencer notes.
And, as Rogers points out, when done properly, theatrical lighting can serve to increase engagement. “It’s a big part of the experience now,” he says. As churches reach out to a variety of people—people that may not have been reached before—this kind of stuff is very appealing, I think, for a certain generation.” But stage lighting is one of a number of tools that churches can use to enhance worship. “We have to continue to add new tools, hone others, and use them at the right moments.”
