Did you know that despite the high degree of technology required by both liturgical and contemporary worship spaces, the people responsible for directing that technology are often left out of the early planning stages of a new project?
Wonder what they wish you knew? We asked production and technical directors from some of the most popular churches in the U.S. what they wished church designers knew about their world.
1. Connection is our main goal.
“Our pastors long to feel a connection with the people to whom they are communicating,” discloses Ryan Howell of Watermark Church with campuses in Dallas, Fort Worth and Plano, Texas.
"The balance of function and fashion is a delicate, yet integral dance we cannot take lightly as one does not automatically overrule the other."
—DAVE PULLIN, Director of Technical Arts, Church of the Resurrection, Leawood, KS
“Architects and Designers should be aware, that though the line may sometimes be blurry, we are not simply hosting concerts each week. Our weekend services are much more than entertainment. Our end goal is to share the greatest hope we have, and to foster a sense of relationship between those in attendance and the person teaching. In Watermark’s larger spaces, we use audio, video and lighting as a means of closing the gap in distance, and allowing everyone in the room to see and hear. “
2. Sometimes there are people on your team who don’t “get” us.
“Production venues are rare for normal engineers and architects. In production, we constantly think through the logistics of doing anything—from how people move from one space to the other to how we need to wire/hang a fixture. What they believe to be minutia gets dismissed, then we end up with handicaps that can last as long as the building. This makes the regular presence of the technical director on the job site very important. We see things others simply won't—and hopefully we catch those items dismissed by others so they can be corrected before it is too late,” says Wyatt Johnston, tech arts director at Fellowship Bible Church, Topeka, Kan.
3. Engage us in the dialogue about fashion vs. function.
“Over the multiple building projects and renovations I’ve been a part of, the more passionate topics of discussion seem to revolve around function and fashion and how those two priorities merge together. In our current building project, which will be our permanent sanctuary, audio clarity was of upmost importance. As such, we have two large main speaker arrays hanging in a location for optimal sound quality—which also happen to be in a prominent and visible location. The architects felt the audio system should be redesigned so the speakers were completely out of sight. The priority of fashion (visual aesthetics) was higher for the architects whereas the priority of Function (audio quality) was higher for the church. This produced several long, yet productive conversations about the quality of sound desired and possible scenarios to meet both priorities. In the end, it was a simple matter of us clearly communicating the priority for the church and the architects ultimately agreed. The balance of function and fashion is a delicate, yet integral dance we cannot take lightly as one does not automatically overrule the other,“ shares Dave Pullin, director of technical arts, Church of the Resurrection in Leawood, Kan.
4. With production equipment, we need you to know the difference when it comes to VE.
“Architects do not argue with the necessity for well-planned AVL coordination. However, understanding the end-user perspective when the value engineering process begins is not something that is as easily grasped. It is not just the initial impression of the room that makes a difference, but also the coordinated transitions of audio, video and lighting systems that are crucial during a service. For instance, it may seem like a simple substitution to have one house light switched for another because the look of the fixture is similar, but the performance of the light cannot be overlooked. A house light that evenly dims from 0-100 is equally important to the look of the light. While aesthetics are key in developing a worship environment, function outweighs the ‘look’ because when the lights fade out it becomes all about functionality of the room,” points out Bill Gross, director of production arts, Savannah Christian Center, Savannah, Ga.
5. Aesthetics and technology compete less when the conversations happen early.
“Having served in several churches where the architectural design dominated the way in which technology could be applied, I wish architects would strive to get more clarity as to how they can design a space that will allow a typically lean church staff to successfully utilize, maintain, and improve upon the technology in the room. After all, our ability to work in the space directly influences the impressions of the people who come to experience the space. The aesthetics of the room are quite important, but if the aesthetics come at the sacrifice of technical functionality, then you have created a space that looks great in a photo spread, but likely falls well short of the needs of the congregation,” offers Bryan Bailey, minister of media at First Baptist, Dallas. “Architects and tech directors must be able to clearly communicate early on in the process to make sure all the needs are met and ensure compromises are not detrimental.”
6. Don’t forget to design for volunteers.
“As Church staff, we don't do this alone. Each week hundreds of people serve as volunteers. Designing spaces in which teams can gather before and between services is vital. This is where we communicate the plan for each day. Think of these spaces as large family rooms. There may unique design requirements or adjacencies for each volunteer team in the church. Take the necessary time to learn and understand those, and do your best to accommodate them in the Programming phase of design,” contributes Howell. [Author’s note: As a woman volunteering in churches I’ve wound up hiding my purse under many pews. The new trend of lockers in volunteer areas is a welcome relief.]
7. Acoustics as an afterthought is expensive.
“In my experience, I wish that church designers had a better understanding of acoustics within the designs they create. I would like to see designers and acousticians work together to achieve the desired look while taking into account acoustics so that so much money does not have to be spent fixing acoustical anomalies after the build. It is more expensive to fix acoustical issues after the occupancy,” highlights Will Chapman, media outreach minister at Cottonwood Creek Church in Allen, Texas.
“It would be a tragedy to finish off a building and realize in your first service that you can’t understand the pastor at the back of the room because the acoustics are too reverberant or the sound systems coverage isn’t what you need. Most acoustic and audio-video-lighting considerations touch the architectural, mechanical and structural elements, so you must involve a consultant early,” shares Jason Castellente, technical director for National Community Church in Washington, D.C.
8. We are going to upgrade technology in the future. Help us plan for it.
Chris Kozen, production coordinator for Valley Creek Church in Flower Mound, Texas, advises, “Plan for the future needs of the church (conduit, power, data, booths, etc.). It is okay to hold out on tools today in order to have the freedom and flexibility to add more tools later.”
Castellente adds, “Don’t skimp on the infrastructure. I know a church that wanted to retrofit their lighting systems with some moving lights and additional elements to enhance worship but they simply had not planned in the structural systems to support anything more than what they had when the building was built. Not to mention, the power sources for the upgrade were incredibly far away from where they wanted to put the new lights which would mean both structural and power upgrades were needed. If you’re nearing the end of your budget and you need to cut something, cut a piece of equipment but don’t cut the infrastructure. That element may become more affordable as the church continues to grow in the future.”
Church technical leaders understand better than most that there is disparate direction on building projects—after all they are given conflicting direction all the time by worship teams, the pastor, ministry leaders and the congregation. But having a production voice at the table during the early planning meetings can go a long way with making sure the design concepts aren’t only what the production team can live with, but have the elements to make the activities within the space thrive.
