Elevation Church, Asheville, NC
A well-designed lighting show can make a dramatic difference in a congregation’s ability to engage in a worship experience. With the vast majority of churches in the U.S. meeting in venues with seating capacities of less than 800, though, the challenge to produce impactful results on a smaller canvas can often prove formidable.
Here are some of the most common challenges that tech directors and lighting designers at small- and mid-sized churches wrestle with, and how they can best be addressed.
Environmental limitations
One of the most common pain points lighting directors have to solve is the challenge of retrofitting existing spaces that weren’t originally designed for modern AVL production. Issues like lower ceilings, lack of structural reinforcement, inadequate power infrastructure, and poor control of natural lighting can all combine to produce an ongoing headache for church lighting teams trying to make the best of a bad hand.
“You always have to question small venues’ available electricity and rigging limitations,” says Ken Flisak, lighting designer for Parkview Community Church in Villa Park, Ill. “It’s best to start with a real tech scout first. Design opinions are always up for debate, and there [aren’t any] ideas that should not be considered. You simply have to design the best you can within your budget.”
“Design opinions are always up for debate, and there [aren’t any] ideas that should not be considered. You simply have to design the best you can within your budget.” Ken Flisak, Lighting Designer, Parkview Community Church, Villa Park, IL
“Small venues may not have hanging places available to create distinct lighting zones,” continues Flisak. “Lighting trees can always be used if you can't hang truss. Lights can also always be placed on floors, flight cases and other various-sized boxes for ‘specials.’”
Fortunately, stage lighting manufacturers are continuing to make strides forward with LED fixtures that are feature-rich without breaking the bank. These instruments are usually very power-efficient while providing more than sufficient output for mid-sized venues. The advent of lighting control software that can be run remotely from tablets and laptops can also dramatically reduce the upfront costs of system control upgrades, while still retaining creativity and dependability.
Budget limitations
Another challenge for leaders working in small- or mid-sized ministries is the continuing issue of budget support. Lighting ministries are sometimes asked to take a backseat to areas perceived as more mission-critical, leaving tech directors to do their best with aging gear, duct tape and a soldering gun.
The advent of lighting control software that can be run remotely from tablets and laptops can dramatically reduce the upfront costs of system control upgrades.
“The challenge of working with outdated lighting systems, as well as dealing with limited budgets to improve current systems, is always a struggle,” shares Darrell Vonbergen, lighting coordinator at Bridgewood Church in Savage, Minn.
Vonbergen encourages leaders to start by doing everything in their power to maximize their impact through creativity and elbow grease. “There are a lot of simple and inexpensive LED solutions out that the church with a smaller budget can utilize,” continues Vonbergen. “Off the shelf LED strips can be put together to create a cycle wash. It may not cover a full cycle curtain, but they can still add color. Those same LED strips can be used inside frosted plastic to create interesting visuals.”
“There are a lot of simple and inexpensive LED solutions out [there]…. LED strips can be used inside frosted plastic to create interesting visuals.” Darrell Vonbergen, Lighting Coordinator, Bridgewood Church, Savage, MN
He also recommends some good old fashion research and networking to improve the impact a lighting team can make. “Don't be afraid to look at what larger churches are doing and find easy ways to create those fresh looks. I attend concerts at churches and will stop and pick the brains of the lighting operator just to see how they did it.”
Once these solutions have been maximized, the next step will be to cast a vision for a lighting ministry that will help grow the reach of the church. “Cooler” is not going to convince anyone to reallocate resources away from another ministry and into lighting. Instead, successful budget increases are almost always the result of a compelling vision that has a high probability of increasing the real impact of a ministry.
Once you have that new vision mapped out, take the extra step of trying it out on a few friends or colleagues before presenting it to the decision makers. Be sure to express the effectiveness and safety benefits for your volunteers, and be open and willing to spreading out purchases over the coming months, or even years, in order keep a “yes” from becoming a “not now.”
Volunteer challenges
Of course, the greatest challenge for lighting ministries at small- or mid-sized churches is usually one most outsiders rarely even consider, and that’s the struggle to effectively recruit and lead a volunteer team. A smaller pool of volunteers often means less flexibility, less availability, and less bench strength at busy holiday seasons. The limited volunteer pool often means more training and education is needed than would otherwise be the case in larger churches.
“One of the most challenging things is to get the knowledge that I need myself, and then to be able to communicate that to the team,” states Todd Heft, multimedia and technology director at Hillside Community Church in Bristol, Conn. “Knowing where your lighting is working, or not working, really matters. It comes down to knowing what you have and whom you’re working with.”
A smaller pool of volunteers often means less flexibility, less availability, and less bench strength at busy holiday seasons.
Heft continues, “It’s so important to be able to connect with the volunteers and to understand their learning styles. Being able to understand where they are spiritually and why we do this whole ministry thing matters. It’s about not only about having a working relationship with them, it’s about a personal relationship, as well. It’s important to balance giving them feedback about what they’re doing on the weekend with caring about the things that are going on in their lives during the week.”
For lighting directors ready to grow in the area of volunteer leadership and discipleship, the first step will usually be to carefully consider what constitutes reasonable goals for the lighting team. Setting reasonable goals for things like roster size, training goals, team health, and personal investment will help avoid burning through volunteers over the long haul.
“It’s so important to be able to connect with the volunteers and to understand their learning styles. Being able to understand where they are spiritually and why we do this whole ministry thing matters.” Todd Heft, Multimedia and Technology Director, Hillside Community Church, Bristol, CT
Next, it’s important to develop a plan to address those areas over the course of the coming year. Instead of trying to knock the cover off the ball 52 weekends a year, identify a few mountaintop weekends (maybe Easter, fall kickoff and Christmas) where your team can swing for the fences. On the other weekends, put the priority on relationships and spiritual growth, remembering that people who are all-in with their hearts are much more likely to become the kind of all-star volunteers than people who are serving simply out of a sense of obligation.
In conclusion
Ultimately, the core of the solution to the challenges facing lighting ministries usually resides in the hearts of ministry leader themselves. Successful lighting directors will make sure to set aside time to learn and grow. Finding a mentor and identifying a couple of churches that are a few steps ahead in the developmental process will go a long way in the process. And finally, setting reasonable goals and allowing for time to enjoy the current season that a team is in will allow for the healthy space a ministry needs to grow and thrive.
