Lighting is one of those critical elements that can make or break a service. It's important to survey your options and select the system that is right for your particular sanctuary, personnel capabilities and budget. Here, four manufacturers offer their best advice to you as you evaluate, select and install lighting in your worship facility.

1. Plan well in advance and leave out no detail.
There is no one miracle tip for lighting churches, pardon the pun. It may not be the most thrilling advice but the complexity of church lighting dictates that you first and foremost plan well in advance and leave out no detail.
   
Today's houses of worship can be equipped with audio, lighting and sound products that rival the "House of Blues." The challenge in incorporating AVL into churches is to maintain the tone, decorum and appearance of a place of worship. That can only be achieved with careful planning.
   
Dramatic theatrical displays, evangelical concerts and even video and TV broadcasting are commonplace in modern churches. Due to the complexity of combining these elements, AVL determinations and requirements must be included in the architectural design phase of the building. Unfortunately, many churches overlook that in the initial planning phase. As a result, requirements for adequate power can be ignored by architects who primarily calculate loads for conventional indoor lighting systems. Also, structural requirements--to hang fixtures, for example--may be overlooked.
   
Because the dynamics involved in using several lighting techniques require specific fixture positioning, they greatly affect a venue's aesthetics. Often audio and lighting end up battling for the same limited rigging space. To walk the fine line of fostering emotional responses and "concert appeal" while maintaining a church-like atmosphere, AVL designers often struggle and must compromise on space issues. Poor positioning of lights affect every other church production, including video projections, dramas or concerts. Determining the scope of each activity in advance is key to the efficient selection, use and placement of lights.
   
A properly designed system incorporating moving yokes--the current light of choice in entertainment lighting--makes sense because it allows a great degree of flexibility while adding the concert appeal.

For best all-around lighting, use the following guidelines. First, target and light facial shadows--such as under the nose, eye sockets and chin--by projecting at between 35-degree and 40-degree angles. Second, always try to light your subject from three sides (key, fill and back). Third, use ellipsoidals to better control and eliminate light spills. And, fourth, the more dimmers, the better off you will be.
-- Victor Menendez, CHAUVET

2. Take advantage of the capabilities of your lighting system without the need for an experienced operator.
For live presentations, a lighting board works fine; it allows an experienced operator to control your lighting. However, the number and complexity of controls on a lighting board can be overwhelming to an inexperienced operator, and there's a potential for damage. The solution is usually to "lock up" the lighting board when no operator is available.

But why not automate a portion of your lighting control system so that it can be used without supervision? There are a number of ways to accomplish this. One is to use automated show control equipment. A few simple pushbuttons can initiate complicated lighting changes, either to preset levels or as a sequence of changes. Program one button to turn lights off or employ a time-out in case someone forgets to turn them off.

For more complex needs, a lighting designer can create various looks, and then the DMX data itself can be stored using one of several different DMX recorders on the market. The recorded DMX can be played back at the touch of a button or can chase the timecode of the presentation.

Either approach lets you take advantage of the capabilities of your lighting system without the need for an experienced operator. 
--Grace Warfield, Alcorn McBride

3. Think about access and maintenance.
How would you like a BLT (without the mayo)? Here's a Big Lighting Tip--a precautionary warning about bad lighting positions. 

When your lighting system is in the development stages, think about access and maintenance. If you have lighting fixtures placed above the seating or other immovable objects, when maintenance is required (lamp blows, etc.), it is likely that you will have a hard time getting to the fixtures, and that will pretty much render those lights useless. 

Things to consider, therefore, would be lighting positions that are easily accessible or pews/seating that are easy to remove so that a man-lift can be brought in to reach the lighting fixtures.

Also, you will need to add into your budget the actual cost of the lift or be prepared to pay the rental charges on one when maintenance is required.  You can also look into getting motorized battens for ease of maintenance and buy some of the new remote focus fixtures that are available. 

It's all about budget. Make sure these options are discussed with your specialty lighting contractor or electrical engineer. Remember, once the contractors and engineers are gone, it's up to you to focus and maintain the lighting.
--Jessica Laney, Theatrical Lighting Systems

4. Hire a company with experience in design and a proven track record for success.
It is no accident when you are taken back by the beauty of good lighting. It is unmistakable and intentional in every way. It makes any space at all seem to evoke feeling. You can walk your viewers down a myriad of paths with just color and placement. If your budget allows, you can even look like a superstar. But even the humblest of spaces sings with a little light in just the right places. Your venue is about delivering a message. Say it with conviction. Say it with good lighting design. It will be the some of the best money you spend, regardless of your budget.

As designers, it is luxurious for us to stand in your bare church and create the way your congregation will feel each time you gather there for worship.  Our advice to you as a purchaser at the onset is to hire a company with experience in design and a proven track record for success. Look at pictures of work they have done, call their references because they should have them. You can spend an equal amount of money with a company that just sells equipment, but a design staff will yield a different product altogether. The result is an ambiance in your place of worship that tells a story each time you change the cue.

Good lighting, sound and production design is never an accident. Anyone can light up a room for a competitive price. Distinguished lighting adds the most powerful exclamation point there is to thought-provoking speech and showmanship. In your business, that's saying quite a lot.
-- Joe Orcino, Technical Productions, Inc.

5. More light is good, but more effective light is better.
Fixtures that supply lots of light may also supply lots of glare, direct the light where it's not useful, or, even worse, not direct the light at all. All of this makes for wasted energy dollars and an uncomfortable environment for worship.

Before you select fixtures, consider how you want to light the space. Where should the light be directed for reading? What other areas do you want to highlight? How can the fixtures be controlled to adjust light levels for different parts of the service or other events?

Indirect fixtures (primarily bowl type pendants) provide uplight and are a good choice for spaces with lower ceilings and light colors. Direct fixtures provide light downwards and are better for large spaces with dark colors. Some fixtures provide uplight and downlight for the benefits of both.

Unsure about lighting? Consult with a professional lighting designer, architect, or electrical engineer for the best results and recommendations on manufacturers' products and reputation.
--Andy Manning, Manning Lighting

Product Roundup

LightCue by Alcorn McBride
Alcorn McBride's LightCue eliminates the need for scripting. Lighting designers program shows using their favorite lighting consoles, then simply record the DMX data directly into the LightCue. The system allows churches to:

• Get rid of expensive consoles in permanent installations
• Handle lighting situations in a single rack unit
• Capture any DMX data perfectly, on the first try, and play it back exactly the same way every time
• Store preset "looks"

The LightCue is small, versatile, easy to use and economical.
www.alcorn.com

TLS Inc.
James Thomas Engineering is now offering a self-contained LED lighting unit, the Pixel Arc R.  The unit features:

• Available RGBW form, making it perfect for architectural and entertainment applications
• Color change capabilities from a control board
• Low heat emissions, allowing it to be used in close proximity to fabrics without fear or scorching or fire

These fixtures are ideal if a church's lighting positions are in hard-to-access areas.  There's no changing blown lamps, and no changing color filters/gels. 
www.tlsinc.com

NexeraLX by Wybron
The lightweight and easy-to-use NexeraLX from Wybron is a compact fixture with integral CMY subtractive dichroic color mixing. Designed with churches in mind, NexeraLX offers:

• An unlimited color palette and smooth color integration, perfect for ever-changing production needs
• Both wash and profile models, with either a tungsten or CDM light source
• Convection-cooled color module, with no fans and no noise

www.wybron.com

McFadden/Trend Lighting Company
McFadden/Trend Lighting Company is one of the top manufacturers in the country, specializing in quality lighting for commercial buildings, churches and institutions. The company provides:

• Assistance in laying out an application
• Point-by-point calculations at no cost
• Fresh new powder-coated metal finishes
• Standard cataloged or custom designs

McFadden provides elegant, timeless lighting--as well as contemporary--for all applications. 
www.mcfaddenlighting.com

COLORbank LED by Chauvet
COLORbank LED is the first LED wash light to join Chauvet's line of multi-lamp, compartmented striplighting luminaires. This wash light features:

• 304 long-life diodes housed in four pods
• Full RGB mixing capability
• DMX-512 programmability
• A more concentrated, richly-colored flood

The unit is portable and effectively washes walls and backdrops as well as statues, floors, stages and venues of worship. All functions, including full RGB mixing, can be also performed on stand-alone, making it easy to use even by the novice.
www.chauvetlighting.com