At Inspire Church in Kansas, large-format projection is used not just as a screen, but as an environmental storytelling tool— allowing visuals to spill beyond a single rectangle and shape the room in ways that support worship, teaching, and a wide range of ministry moments without the permanence of an LED wall. Mission first. Technology second. Image courtesy of Inspire Church, Hutchinson, Kan.
When it comes to creating a dynamic visual experience in churches, those two technologies may not be separated by personal preference the way desserts and sodas are. Instead, ministry vision, available resources, and environmental limitations tend to be some of the principles on which the decision should be based.
And while it’s increasingly common for ministries to install LED walls as a main focal point of the worship experience, whether as a display service for IMAG cameras or graphic content, or as a scenic backdrop behind the on-stage talent, ministries should never jump into that level of commitment simply because it “looks cool” or because other churches are doing it. Like any capital expenditure, it should be well thought-out and should reflect an intentional path that aligns with the ministry’s long-term goals.
TECHNOLOGY DECISIONS SHOULD SERVE THE MISSION, NOT JUST THE AESTHETIC.
And while installing LED walls may certainly be the right fit for some ministries, it may not be the case for all of them, and there are still plenty of churches that use projection in a way to create dynamic, immersive experiences during worship. “Projection shouldn’t be considered old tech, but tech that can potentially fit the room and the mission,” says Adam Hobson, the broadcast engineer at Alabama-based megachurch Church of the Highlands. “Projectors can still deliver an excellent experience at a fraction of LED cost. Everyone should remember that projection isn’t just for screens—it’s a giant, flexible light source.”
For Mercy Culture Church, a multisite ministry based in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex of Texas, environmental projection has proven to be a more effective approach to creating an immersive and engaging environment for worship and events.
“At our Dallas campus, we have a historic 100-year-old building with a white interior, and we use projection there to maintain the building’s aesthetic,” explains Jonathan Mendoza, the church’s creative director. “Instead of a stark LED wall, projection lets us blend visuals into the white environment, creating floating images and a more immersive atmosphere. This approach fits the room’s character and avoids the visual intrusion of a large LED structure.”
LED ISN’T JUST ‘BUY THE WALL AND TURN IT ON.’ IT CHANGES HOW YOU OPERATE.
“We’ve found projection is a great cost-effective tool for adding immersive effects,” he continues. “For example, by projecting visuals onto our white walls, we can create floating images like a dove or a cross. This allows us to change the atmosphere dynamically without the rigid boundaries of an LED wall, making the space feel more expansive.”
For central Kansas’ Inspire Church, the approach is similar. “We did a major renovation of our 1980 building in 2018,” says Dustin Bauerle, the church’s worship pastor for the last decade. “We have no natural light to contend with, so using a laser projector for our main screen made the most financial sense. As a part of the remodel, we decided to go with environmental projection on our tall side walls to create an immersive environment.”
He continues, “Environmental projection allows us the flexibility to tell stories in a dynamic way and to create environments that draw people into those stories. When we aren’t using it for storytelling, we are simply trying to create an environment or feel that connects to the various uses of our room. Whether an intimate wedding or an amped-up student service, it gives us the flexibility of using the room in a variety of ways. One of the unexpected wins with environmental projection has been when hosting funerals. We are able to add a very personal touch to the service that families have appreciated. Our favorite moments are when we’re able to make lighting, audio, and environmental projection work together to create one cohesive look and feel.
Because our walls are literally blank canvases, fresh creative elements are mostly limited by our own imagination.”
For Bauerle and the Inspire team, it’s normally a week-long process to generate and test ideas prior to implementation. There’s always value to having enough time to test content in the room (sometimes with multiple people involved) and make necessary changes, because, as he states, “what looks great on a computer screen doesn’t always translate well to environmental projection.”
While projection and LED walls are both creative pallets that can provide numerous paths to visual expression, each is only as good as the content that will be displayed on them. It’s one thing to simply use each as a rectangular canvas for IMAG or stock graphic content; it’s another thing entirely to use either as a way of creating a visually immersive environment that envelopes the attendees and brings them into the experience.
“Immersion doesn’t always require more hardware—it requires intention,” notes Keithan Carroll, the production and technology director at Oklahoma’s Transformation Church.
“When paired well with lighting, projection can create powerful environments at a much lower cost and can add texture, movement, and depth to walls and scenic surfaces, atmosphere that supports worship moments, and creative flexibility through content instead of construction.”
It is the latter line, of “content instead of construction,” that some ministries may not fully be in position to consider when weighing the pros and cons of installing an LED wall.
While on the surface the hardware seems like a good bargain at XX dollars per panel compared to the cost of a projector or two, there are often way more costs and considerations involved in the project that can actually dramatically increase the cost of ownership for an LED wall.
“Everyone should remember that LED isn’t just ‘buy the wall and turn on the wall’,” notes Highlands’ Hobson. “The total cost of the project should be considered: processors, rigging, power, control, spares, and installation.
“Do you have access to someone who can create big (sometimes massive) video files?” he asked. “LED has the reputation for being ‘low power’ but millions of small power consumers amount to a ton of power draw and add significant heat load to the space it’s being installed. Are you thinking about the impact on your space?”
“How far are the cameras away? How close is the nearest seat? Who is going to keep up with spare parts to repair broken panels, dead pixels, etc.? Plus, think through who you are buying the wall from to ensure you are comfortable with a long-term relationship with them for service and support when it’s needed.”
Indeed, adding an LED wall can pull more on the “construction” side than purely the “content” side of operation. So, as Hobson also suggested, ask the question, “Is projection failing—or is it just under-utilized?”
Making the investment in an LED wall is a notable one for a ministry, both for weekly usage and for long-term management.
“At Transformation Church, we approach LED as infrastructure, not décor,” Carroll explains. “LED changes how you operate, not just how your stage looks.”
Sometimes, though, a transition to LED really is the best option, whether because of factors like ambient lighting in the room (that simply would overpower projection otherwise) or due to how a screen is critical to the on-camera experience for broadcast.
But when considering purely an apples-to-apples swap from a projection screen to an LED wall of the same dimension (and for the same purpose), “it may not be the right investment,” Carroll notes.
Instead, when considering decisions through the overall ministry prism of stewardship, it again harkens back to Carroll’s prior strategic word choice: intention.
For churches prioritizing broadcast image quality, LED walls offer a level of brightness and control that projection can struggle to match, as seen at Transformation Church. Image courtesy of Transformation Church, Tulsa, Okl.
What is a ministry trying to accomplish, and, given its resources and environment, what is the most effective way to do that? Asking key questions is critical during the decision-making process, because “stewardship matters as much as innovation,” he states.
“Does this serve our mission or just our aesthetics?” Carroll asks. “Do we have the people to support this long-term? Is our room better served by brightness, scale, or flexibility? Can we maintain this with excellence year after year?”
“Ultimately, it’s not just a technical or financial choice,” adds Mercy Culture’s Mendoza, “but a spiritual one, ensuring that the technology truly serves the congregation and aligns with what we believe God wants for our church.”
