Creating Spaces — Houses of Worship
Throughout history, prophets and religious figures had to "seek the high ground" in order to be seen and heard by their followers. Today, churches, temples and mosques (reflecting many centuries of construction and architectural styles) are keeping pace with their media-savvy congregations in order to get their messages—and inspiration—across to the faithful using professional audiovisual equipment.
Whether it's the first audiovisual installation for a small country chapel, a modernization-upgrade for a large, urban synagogue, or a full television ministry broadcast center, almost every house of worship today recognizes the value of visual and audio techniques.
Those who haven't yet adapted might not realize that today's technologies and the tricks of the business we use in our installations have surmounted most problems with combining the high technology of today with the tradition and history of worship. The concerns that sometimes arise are:
- Fear: We're very traditional; our members won't know how to use it and we might break it. (Today's equipment is very user-friendly.)
- Esthetics: All that bulky high-tech stuff will detract from the beauty of our church. (The clever, compact and low-profile design of modern equipment can be hidden or well-integrated by professional designers.)
- Acoustic: Our cantor sounds great right where he is; why should we make any changes? (We haven't seen an audio system yet that couldn't be improved so that the entire congregation hears the same quality sound.)
- Cost: That's a luxury for mega-size congregations; we only have two services on the weekend. (Systems these days are designed for flexibility so that you can start small and add functionality as desired.)
In truth, it's about communication. And die-hard traditionalists can appreciate that if religion doesn't reach out and grow, the size of the congregation can decline. Houses of worship are used for a variety of purposes—what works well for a visiting guest speaker needs to adapt to a holiday pageant or musical presentation. And audiovisual installations, in many cases, are proving to stimulate and expand religious education programs and, importantly, increase use of the facilities.
Many houses of worship today incorporate complete AV systems into their sanctuaries and other facilities, and regard it as a necessary adjunct to the nature and focus of their particular congregation. Are they youth-oriented? Missionary-oriented? Social and community-service minded? Is music a major component of their religious expression?
Whatever the end-use, an integrated audiovisual system might consist of professional level video projectors, projection screens, video cameras, computers, microphones, speakers, mixing consoles, closed circuit television, special effects lighting and even videoconferencing. Depending on the specific needs, DVD/CD players and recorders, plasma monitors, and electronic whiteboards might assist for particular purposes and applications.
Professional audiovisual technology allows for dynamic presentations with changes of mood, display of inspirational pictures, images, and lyrics. What's more, announcements, information, video clips, and regular rotations of sermon notes and sacred verses are easily accomplished.
Integrating high-tech audio and video equipment into houses of worship is transforming the experience of congregations to include many different sensory levels. And while lay volunteer/technicians aren't producing commercials for the Superbowl, many are proving to be creative and enthusiastic learners in using their skills to serve their faith.
Explain your ideas, dreams and budgets to us. Quality audiovisual consultation is available for houses of worship of all shapes and sizes. We can deliver the customized system design that's right for you.
