The question is the same today as it was for the early church: How can we reach people with the resources that are available to us? For those spreading the Word in the beginning, this meant many weeks journeying by ship or on foot, and then they were limited by the fact that they could only communicate with the people they could speak with face to face or by letter.

Fast forward to the present, and with a simple key stroke, one local church can send live streaming video of their service to any place on the face of the earth. Churches can seat tens of thousands, and, with technology, the person in the farthest seat from the platform can feel as though the pastor is speaking to him on an individual and personal level.

The question almost everyone has is, “How can we better ourselves with a limited budget and volunteer personnel?” What can we do to see that these things come to fruition? Let us examine these situations one at a time.  

Everyone has budget concerns. The church can have 10 members or 10,000, and money is still an issue. How can we be effective and do the things that need to be done when the products we need are so expensive? 

The best way is to have a long-term audio/video update plan. Find a reputable company that is qualified and has experience in every facet of worship technology. It needs to be someone with a proven track record that has been doing this kind of work for several years. 

By dealing with one company for every aspect of the project you do not have to worry about trying to find the video guy’s number when the lamp on the projector gives up and then hunt down the audio guy if an amp or speaker decides not to come to church one Sunday. If you have any problem, one phone call to one person will have the problem solved. 

Also, with a long-term plan, you build a relationship with a company and have them on board throughout the entire project. The company will have your best interest at heart because they know what is expected of them now and what will be expected of them though the years from inception to completion.

Start by accessing your current system. Is the audio system getting the job done? Do you have frequent complaints about volume and intelligibility? If you can answer yes to any of these questions and your audio system is dated, you should probably look at the prospect of replacing the core audio system. 

Many advances have been made in the last few years that are beneficial to the church market. DSP, or digital signal processing, has taken most of the strain out of the week-to-week worry of consistent sound quality. These systems are tuned by the contractor to the room and give you the ability to make true equalization settings to the system. Most are set by computer and have no controls on the front panel. These units work to keep the system as flat as possible and are a valuable tool, because this one unit can take the place of a rack full of eq’s, crossovers and delays. Some of the units even provide feedback suppression, so they can offer more room in an already crowded booth. 

Loudspeakers have also become more advanced, with companies offering powered cabinets that simplify installation and provide great fidelity. The top speaker companies offer a more natural sound in the vocal range without the harshness that is characteristic in some of the older and cheaper boxes.

Having a budget should not mean simply spending as little money as possible. There are many horror stories that I have heard from people that were happy with the price in the beginning but disappointed with the end quality of the system. This is not good stewardship. The money that is spent in these situations is money wasted. If there is only a certain amount of money that can be used toward the cause, use that money wisely. Be patient. It is better to update one piece of equipment with a high-quality replacement than to change 10 pieces for something flashy that will not suite your needs for the amount of time required to finish your long-term plan.

The equipment you purchase is nothing but high-priced paper weights unless the people that are chosen to operate it have a fair understanding of how it works.

Sound, video and lighting are a ministry within themselves.  he people should be dedicated enough to arrive early, stay late and do what is necessary to make sure the service goes smoothly. There is nothing worse than to have the pastor be at a critical point in the message and a battery fails that should have been replaced but was not, simply because the people responsible did not arrive in time to do so. It only takes one miscue during a person’s moment of decision to tear down all the work that has been done up to that point. 

The task needs to be approached prayerfully, sincerely and with knowledge. The best sound or lighting engineer did not start out as the best. It takes a love of the craft and the willingness to learn and listen from others that have been there before. In other words, when a person thinks that they know everything, there is nothing left to learn because pride has taken the place of purpose. We are fortunate to have resources available that we can learn from. There are several books that will walk you though the basics, and many seminars are offered at a nominal fee to give you hands-on experience with qualified instructors walking you through some of the problems you can encounter on a daily basis. 

Also, the company that you choose to do business with should offer training as part of the customer service that comes with every purchase. Read your current system’s operation manuals. If they have been discarded, most manufactures offer copies on their Web sites that can be downloaded free of charge. It will not take long to see positive results.

Multimedia can be very challenging, but it is also very rewarding. Proper use can stir the hearts of the congregation.

In my church recently on a Sunday night, the pastor stepped to the pulpit after the praise and worship, and, instead of presenting the sermon as was usually the case, he told us about a service he had just participated in and about how powerful the sermon was that a young minister had delivered. He wished that the entire church could have been there.  Then he asked the video technician if he would play part of the DVD that was recorded at the conference. As the sermon began to play, people were moved, and, instead of playing a portion, the entire sermon was played. In the end, the altars were filled. 

This would not have been possible just a few years ago, but, in a small town, a young minister preached a sermon to people he had never seen in a state he had never visited and in a church where the congregation did not know his name, and people’s lives were changed. 

We as a church have the greatest opportunity ever offered to any generation and with planning, team work and sincerity, there is no limit to what can be accomplished with the use of multimedia technology.

Chris Campbell is the project manager for Shivelbine Audio Video Designs, www.churchaudiovideo.com.

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Product Roundup

Mitsubishi's XD110U and SD110U Projectors
Mitsubishi's XD110U and SD110U projectors use Texas Instruments Digital Light Processing technology, and are the newest low cost, high value projectors from the company known for its color reproduction excellence and low cost of ownership. Both projectors blast 1600 ANSI lumens—bright enough for most office and classroom environments—and offer a 2000:1 contrast ratio for detailed dark areas. At just 32   decibels, each projector is also extremely quiet so educators and presenters can keep their audiences’ attention with less distraction. Mitsubishi’s new SD110U and XD110U will be available in July, 2005 from its professional dealer network and through selected online retailers and retail channels. The projectors come with a 90-day limited warranty on the lamp, Mitsubishi’s three-year limited warranty on parts and labor and Mitsubishi’s exclusive two-year Express Replacement Assistance program on the XD110U.
www.mitsubishi-presentations.com

Hitachi CP-X1250 Projector
The Hitachi CP-X1250 projector offers XGA resolution (1024 x 768), exceptionally high brightness and a wide range of lens options for flexibility with any environment.  The CP-X1250 series offers brilliant, crisp images at 4,500 ANSI lumens and an 800:1 contrast ratio. It displays images via a 1.5x zoom lens that can enable projection on screens up to 100 inches and is outfitted with a bayonet lens that can support up to four optional lenses for specific application needs based on the size and environment of a room. The CP-X1250 can also be remotely controlled and maintained through a LAN network connection, providing the ability to network, control and maintain the projector remotely. The network functionality also makes it easy to control multiple projectors in different rooms and to monitor for functions such as remaining lamp life.
www.hitachi.com

Mitsubishi XD450U Projector from AVChurch.com
Mitsubishi’s new XD450u is ideal for small and medium sized sanctuaries and multipurpose rooms. Sporting 2600 lumens, it produces a rich vibrant image on both data and video, thanks to advanced DLP technology.  Ideal for permanent mounting, it offers the latest in digital inputs and a “sealed light path” which keeps dust/dirt from degrading the projected image. Mitsubishi understands that typical church installations require mounting the projector in hard to access locations. As a result, the XD450u is designed to offer the longest life lamp of any projector in its class: 5000 hours (most projector lamps are replaced at 2000 hours). A less expensive XD400 (2100 lumens) and more powerful XD480 (3000 lumens) are also available. The XD series projectors provide a bright, dynamic projector solution requiring a minimum of maintenance in church environments.
www.Avchurch.com

International Audio Visual
The Sanyo PLC_XP56 projector is an extraordinary projector that has a stunning image, great picture, excellent contrast, and an unbeatable price for features/performance. At an impressive 5000 lumens and contrast ratio of 1200:1 it can be used in brightly lit classrooms, conference rooms, churches and outside cinemas. The Network function allows the user to monitor the projector status and even control projector functions through a Web browser. A notification can be automatically sent via e-mail whenever the projector encounters a problem, allowing the administrator to act quickly to resolve any issues. A newly developed progressive integrated circuit provides highly improved playback of moving images. This unit also has an HDCP compliant DVI connection and unique color management system.
www.iavi.com