Photo courtesy of Living Hope Church.
Pastor David Lewis would be the first to tell you that one man alone does not build a church. Those around him, however, will tell you that his experience, drive and crystalline vision—at times coupled with a persistence that he even characterizes as dogged—were responsible for creating a unique worship center for Living Hope Church. Lewis and his team, with only a limited budget, have erected a building just outside Memphis, Tenn., tailored to the high-energy, musical worship experience that continues to build the congregation. But this young pastor's journey to Living Hope Church started long before the idea of a new building.
Lewis grew up in the ministry. His father was a minister and musician who traveled throughout rural Mississippi with his musical family leading music for contemporary worship. “He was pushing the envelope even back then,” Lewis fondly says of his father. With roots firmly in Christian music, Lewis discovered bass guitar in high school and studied music as well as engineering at Mississippi's Delta State University. It was there that Lewis started to feel God's leading hand.
“I was leading worship on campus and playing music, but I just didn't see how or where my skills fit into the local church,” he recalls. He met his wife-to-be, Tara, and moved to the Memphis area after graduation where, like most graduates, his thoughts were about finding a job. He was also looking to serve part-time in the ministry. Lewis soon found his place in the long-established Germantown Baptist Church serving 5,000-6,000 congregants on a Sunday. Lewis became involved in the church's ministry playing, recording and producing powerful Christian music. Happy to be working with music and technology, he says, “I felt like God was shaping me for pastoral ministry.”
Lewis gained valuable experience at Germantown Baptist, but after two years his work there was suddenly interrupted when his father passed away. Overcome by his father's death and having to take on family responsibilities, Lewis left the ministry. “It was a hard time,” he recalls, but Christian music remained a focus for him and he soon found himself touring in larger music venues as a professional electric bassist. “At one point,” he says, “ I felt like I was being exposed to a lot of things all at once. That allowed me to see how God could use me in many ways—in a contemporary ministry.” Lewis returned to Germantown to find the church's reorganization had led to the need for a new plan for many of the families he had come to know. With every step towards the vision of Living Hope Church, the young pastor says he felt God's hand.
Forging ahead
Lewis had worked closely with an audio engineer, Tim Johnson, at Germantown. They shared the experience of working in a large church setting, as well as having similar experiences with smaller worship settings (Johnson’s father was also a traveling minister). Johnson, now Living Hope Church’s technology director, attests to Lewis’ technical expertise. “David is a lot more technical than most worship leaders,” he says. “Plus, if he doesn’t know something, he will study it until he does.”
In the beginning, Living Hope Church held services anywhere they could, from peoples’ homes to school gymnasiums. For six years, the church continued to grow while Lewis and Johnson were facing the challenges and expenses of recreating their dynamic worship experience each week. Then, along with the opportunity to build a permanent facility in Piperton, Tenn., came an opportunity to create a lasting home for Living Hope Church. There was a catch, however. It needed to be done on a very tight budget, and Lewis and Johnson would insist on a world-class technology.
“We try to eliminate anything that detracts from the message. Simply put, our goal for technology is that it not be noticed.”
David Lewis
Worship Pastor, Living Hope Church, Piperton, TN
With a modest budget of $5 million to cover “everything from the parking lot to lightbulbs,” and less that 10% of that allotted for technology, Elite Multimedia of Memphis, Tenn., was chosen to consult on the project and acoustically design the main sanctuary. Working closely with Lewis and his team, Elite Multimedia’s BJ Shaver designed Living Hope Church’s 600-seat sanctuary for optimal sound, and Wade Russell, lead systems integrator with Elite Multimedia, was engaged to consult on sound and lighting. “By being involved early in the process,” says Russell, “we were able to help more.”
“We had to avoid falling into the trap of ‘cheaping out’ on something that would undermine the installation,” says Johnson about the design phase. “It wasn’t just about buying gear, but required a mindset to do things right—that was our driving force.”
Working within boundaries
Lewis and Johnson decided they had to slow down the planning process, looking closely at every purchase. In some cases, they decided to buy used equipment or sell off existing hardware to buy something better. As a result of the careful planning, and in some cases revamping of plans, the planning period took the better part of two years. “It was not for the faint-of-heart,” says Lewis, who confesses that a large part of every day was involved with building and technical issues.
Lewis found other opportunities to use his experience and that of his talented team to defray costs. “We got our hands dirty during the construction,” he reflects. “That’s a decision we made, but it’s not something every church can do.” He also says he “leveled” with the audio integrator early on. “Help me to design the best audio system,” he recalls saying, “and let’s do it together.” Lewis, Johnson, and Russell all say that the planning was hard work at times and boundaries needed to be set, but all agree that the end result was the best possible for the cost.
An early decision that guided the design of the new building was that it be a place to sing, listen to, and be touched by music. As such, the room was carefully designed for sound, employing over-sized HVAC and duct attenuators to minimize the noise floor, as well as acoustic treatments. Additional layers of drywall, including Quietrock, were used for a wall design to isolate sound in the sanctuary, and careful consideration was given to a seating plan for both sight lines and sound quality.
With the team’s approval, Russell of Elite Multimedia deployed their design of d&b audiotechnik T10 loudspeakers in the fan-shaped main sanctuary, six per side. Four d&b 4S loudspeakers were used to provide front-fill, while one E12 loudspeaker was installed as center downfill. Eight E15 subwoofers provide solid low frequencies in the space. A combination of d&b D6 and D12 amplifiers were selected to power the system, along with a Lake LM 26, 2-in/6-out digital loudspeaker processor. Lewis and his team were able to sell their existing digital console to better afford an upgrade to a new Midas Pro2C digital console with a DL251 48 mic/line input, 16-output remote stagebox. “The Midas Pro2C,” says Russell, “complements the Lake and d&b processing and provides a whole system capable of passing signal at 96k AES. We feel that makes a huge difference in the sound.”
Another guiding principle in the church’s design reflects Lewis’s belief that their mission is not to entertain or to simply put on an impressive show, but to make disciples. Johnson describes it as “eliminating distractions.”
“We try to eliminate anything that detracts from the message,” he says. “Simply put, our goal for technology is that it not be noticed.” To that end, lighting purchases were considered only for setting a mood and focusing attention, not for creating a spectacle. To further reduce expenses, much of the lighting equipment, trussing and chain motors were reused. Lewis was able to locate used lighting fixtures from local touring companies to create 10 basic zones in the main worship area using ETC Source Four ellipsoidals and Color Pros. High End Systems’ Studio Beam, Studio Spot, and Martin MAC 250 moving fixtures complement the fixed lighting and minimize reconfiguration. Control is provided by Jands Vista software and an M1 control panel with an ETC Sensor3 dimmer rack for house/conventional lighting fixtures.
Lewis received some help for lighting design from his neighbors. “We designed our lighting with the help of technical and lighting directors from other churches in town,” he says. “It was a great collaborative effort.”
Lewis took the design to Mainstage Theatrical Supply of Memphis to work out details and install it. By using all ETC technology for the conventional dimming systems, Lewis and his team were able to save money by tying together their worship center and student venue to share architectural control. The church pulled all the cable, leaving Mainstage Theatrical to do the DMX terminations and connector strip wiring.
Lewis and his team also designed their own video system with an iMac with ProPresenter using a Blackmagic Atem switcher and additional Blackmagic gear for HD-SDI conversion. A single Panasonic AG-AC160 HD handheld camera catches the action for distribution, as well as recording for podcasts and limited use in worship services.
About the role of IMAG and lighting in contemporary worship, Lewis notes, “Contemporary church styles ride the creative line, engaging people’s minds and emotions to experience the gospel in a new way. But we want people to be amazed by who God is and what he has done, not by something we did. Lighting and IMAG serve only to help us deliver the message.”
For easy operation, and to keep the congregation focused on worship, a basic front-projection HD IMAG system using one Christie DHD800 one-chip DLP digital projector was installed. A long-throw lens is trained on a single 16x9-foot screen located center-stage, directly behind the band. In addition, a re-purposed Panasonic 5k projector shows ProPresenter content on the back wall while an LCD flat-screen monitor in the front row monitors the main screen image.
Living Hope Church now has a home and the technology to fuel its mission. “At the end of the day,” says Lewis, “all the time we spent planning served our church, honors the money resources, and adds value to the community. The money that could have gone into this building can now go to our other projects—our mission to make new disciples, to plant new churches that will lead more people into engagement with God.”
