Design Need help with a church sanctuary

[Scott Strosahl]

Our current lighting for the front of our sanctuary is pretty terrible. I inherited the current setup when I took the job as Director of Worship and Music, and I'm not even sure what the lights are that we have right now.

We have three strips of three lights, but only use the center strip, because our Pastor thinks the others are too bright. This is partly because all three lights on the strip point in basically the same direction. Also, they are not on dimmers.

Here is our current setup with just the center strip on:

and with all three strips on:

We also have the added complication of trying to light the cross in the center of the back wall without getting too much spill onto the screens on either side (pretty much impossible the way we have it now). I thought about back-lighting the cross, but alas, it's flush against the wall.

Also, the band is pretty much in shadows all the time and can't see their music.

I'm not trying to do anything fancy, but I'd like to improve the current setup with what we've got or minimal upgrade (obviously cost is always an issue).

Suggestions? Anyone know what these lights are that we have now?

 

[BillConnerFASTC]

You need some serious help, but there needs to be some commitment by the church to make improvements. At the least, you need some dimming control, probably need some different angles (mounting positions), and some way to color. You could light the cross - easily with two profiles, with one with more difficulty.

If your flexible, I have a project in Prairie City - maybe an hour - and will be there in next month or two - and could try to stop in. Contact me off line if interested.

 

[FMEng]

I echo what Bill said. That church needs serious help lighting wise. Lighting is an important creative element in setting the right atmosphere for worship. It should support the architecture, highlight the symbols, focus attention in the right places. Your atmosphere is "let's play basketball."

Ellipsoidals would allow you to light the chancel area without spill on the video screens. Their beam has a sharp cutoff with shutters than can be adjusted precisely. The placement of them would be fairly critical, so get some experienced advice. I also suggest upgrading the house lighting and control. Those lights look more suitable for a warehouse or a gymnasium and they spill badly on the screens. I'm guessing they are metal halide, which would make them annoyingly noisy, incapable of being dimmed, and slow to turn on. There are manufacturers who specialize in house lighting for churches, so you are not stuck with what's in stock at the local electrical supply house.

In my church, we use houselight dimming to great affect for Christmas candelight services, compline services, etc. We have stage lights and everything is well controlled from a dimmer rack. It was expensive but worth every penny. About 10 years ago, our local utility had a "lighting consultant" who wanted to help us with efficiency for energy savings. Of course, he wanted the halogen stage and house lights to get replaced with metal halide and fluorescent. The only way that was going to happen was over my dead body. The consultant didn't seem to have any clue about the artistry of lighting, appropriate appearance, color temperature, or control and dimming. It looks like your church got the same sort of advice.

You should take Bill up on his offer.

 

[JD]

As far as the spill problem, a simple cheap solution can be found by doing a google image search for "track light with barn doors" and seeing some of the options. There are hundreds of choices, one probably would work aesthetically. At least for now, that would take care of the screen spill problem for about $25 a fixture.
The long term solution is going to be harder as it requires a change of mindset, which is always a bigger problem then the equipment!

 

[RickR]

I've run into many churches that look like this and are asking for help. Many aren't willing to invest enough to make a difference. You are looking at thousands certainly, maybe over 10 to do a good job. You've probably spent at least that much on your AV system, the lighting should be comparable in quality.

You have what looks like residential track for the platform and warehouse fixtures for the seating. Track lighting can be done but brings a host of limitations, at the very least you need lots more track and fixtures. Each one should have a specific job to do. Dimming the pendants would be a huge improvement. Getting it all under control during a service should be a major goal as well.

None of that is what I would call 'artistic' lighting, it just putting light where it's needed and keeping off the others. Artistic lighting of the ceiling, the cross, the musicians and getting some variation in moods would all be above and beyond fixing the errors in place.

So yes, take Bill up on his offer, and learn a lot in a short time.

 

[lwinters630]

I echo what Bill said. That church needs serious help lighting wise. Lighting is an important creative element in setting the right atmosphere for worship. It should support the architecture, highlight the symbols, focus attention in the right places. Your atmosphere is "let's play basketball."

Ellipsoidals would allow you to light the chancel area without spill on the video screens. Their beam has a sharp cutoff with shutters than can be adjusted precisely. The placement of them would be fairly critical, so get some experienced advice. I also suggest upgrading the house lighting and control. Those lights look more suitable for a warehouse or a gymnasium and they spill badly on the screens. I'm guessing they are metal halide, which would make them annoyingly noisy, incapable of being dimmed, and slow to turn on. There are manufacturers who specialize in house lighting for churches, so you are not stuck with what's in stock at the local electrical supply house.

In my church, we use houselight dimming to great affect for Christmas candelight services, compline services, etc. We have stage lights and everything is well controlled from a dimmer rack. It was expensive but worth every penny. About 10 years ago, our local utility had a "lighting consultant" who wanted to help us with efficiency for energy savings. Of course, he wanted the halogen stage and house lights to get replaced with metal halide and fluorescent. The only way that was going to happen was over my dead body. The consultant didn't seem to have any clue about the artistry of lighting, appropriate appearance, color temperature, or control and dimming. It looks like your church got the same sort of advice.

You should take Bill up on his offer.

You need some serious help, but there needs to be some commitment by the church to make improvements. At the least, you need some dimming control, probably need some different angles (mounting positions), and some way to color. You could light the cross - easily with two profiles, with one with more difficulty.

If your flexible, I have a project in Prairie City - maybe an hour - and will be there in next month or two - and could try to stop in. Contact me off line if interested.

About 2 years I consulted on a similar layout at a church. Total around $ 50,000. Had three custom lighting bars fabricated. Back light and two front light. Converted the track circuit to non dim power. Added dmx and led fixtures and ETC Element.