Lighting for House of Worship venues comes with a unique set of criteria that require a considered design approach and product choices. Like music or theater, it is about supporting the message; about engaging and energizing the audience. However, in HOW lighting it is also about reaching a multi-generational congregation, always being aware of the balance according to the congregation and the worship event you are lighting. And that is another element—most HOW lighting must be flexible enough to go from a worship service to a youth ministry concert to a holiday pageant to a hybrid of live and streamed. All while balancing the added video elements, both projection and LED screens, that are prevalent in many of today’s Houses of Worship. PLSN recently caught up with Lighting Designer Alexander Lehman, who has years of experience in the HOW market segment. He is currently working at the 183-year-old Connection Pointe Christian Church outside Indianapolis, IN, and doing freelance work around the country.
What are some key considerations about lighting for a House of Worship?
I can speak for hours on this, but one main thing that is a benefit of how the market has grown, I think, is that House of Worship LDs have so many more fixture choices at their disposal. But that means it is critical to be very intentional of how we are lighting and what we are using to light with; always asking what is that light doing and why?
I have had the opportunity to chat with a lot of younger LDs who are aspiring to become full-time LDs. I love seeing that happen; starting young and growing into it. And I think what people miss every once in a while, is just being intentional. That is what I talk to younger LDs about. I know that sounds cliché, but it is so critical, especially in today’s world where everybody’s so constantly focused with their phones, with their TVs. People are so easy to move away or get distracted. Lighting plays a huge role in the House of Worship service experience, it is critical to be very intentional, not necessarily just about color choices, but especially movements and how different effects can really be dynamic and bring the whole stage—the whole package if you will—together and make it feel cohesive without it being a distraction. So, that is a big thing for me, being super intentional about how you are programming, how you are designing, because at the end of the day we all have the same goal and that is to point everyone to Jesus.
Another thing, and I tell people this as well, sometimes ‘less is more.’ Just because you have a giant lighting rig does not necessarily mean everything has to be on. I started lighting, actually it will be 10 years in about a week. I quickly learned that less is more. As much as it is fun to play with the fun toys and whatnot, it all comes down to serving the ministry, serving the vision and that goes back to being intentional.
Here at Connection Pointe, we happen to be one of the first churches to actually take ownership of the [Chauvet] Color Strike Ms, and people have reached out to me, assuming, “Oh, you have strobe lights in your auditorium. That doesn’t make any sense.” What I keep telling everybody is, “Yes. In theory, it is a strobe light type fixture. It is also a great wash fixture.” Here the environment is not necessarily of crazy strobing type of lighting. It is very intentional, very clean looking. I use that fixture more as eye candy for camera or a wash. I think using tools—multi-usage fixtures like those—is great; it is great to have the option. Like I said, it is about being intentional. I am using it as a wash and being creative with it. So yeah, remembering just because you have it, it does not necessarily mean you are going to use it with all the bells and whistles.
You work with Chicago-based JRLX as your lighting dealer, how important is that dealer relationship for you?
Jason [Reberski] and his entire team, Denise [Koziel] and everybody else at JRLX in Chicago has just been phenomenal. Phenomenal not just from a box sale perspective, but also in terms of any questions or any ideas that we might have. They help making sure that we’re on the right path and watching to find products that are the right fit for us.
Just like how an iPhone comes out every year, the same thing, I feel, happens with the lighting industry. There’s always a new fixture coming out or a new control system, and it is hard to keep up with that.
Being able to have Jason and his team be part of that conversation to recommend different options has been great. They are part of that process when we look for new lights; giving us different options and really showcasing each fixture for us. It is been great to have them be part of those types of conversations.
Talk a little bit about how your lighting supports the ministry and the message of your church.
This church, Connection Pointe Christian Church, is over a hundred years old. It is very well known in the community. I have had the chance of working with numerous churches, of all different sizes, in various places across the country over the last 10 years. Some of the stuff I had been doing previously before coming here to Indiana, was more about pushing the edge of concert-type lighting and that was because that style lighting fit the culture of that church. Here, at Connection Pointe Christian Church, it is still about trying to push the envelope but also about finding a clean look that works for this church’s culture and the overall vision here.
Finding a new approach to the lighting was all part of the Connection Pointe team’s ongoing vision of improving. At the same time, we also did a redesign of the lighting rig itself. The idea for me in terms of fixture selection was just flexibility. I’m really big on having a variety of fixtures, that obviously not only support the vision of what we are trying to do here, but in a sense be able to give us the flexibility to take some lighting breaks, if you will.
For example, I think for Christmas, I might give a break to some of our fixtures just to give the design some breathing room and then bring them back in for Easter. The way I designed the rig, and the fixture choices, it really allows me to do that without sacrificing quality. Not everything needs to be used all the time.
I am always trying to figure out how can I make things feel refreshed, without unnecessarily spending a ton of ministry money. If you have the right lights in your rig and you are intentional in your design for what you are asked to light specifically you can keep it fresh looking. I want to know why I am using a specific light in a look, I want to have intentional moments. That is when lighting is truly supporting the ministry and that can be a really incredible piece in the overall worship experience.
I see that you livestream at the church. Talk a little bit about how that affects your lighting and the video content.
Of course, lighting for video is its own beast and it is very important. I am sure every House of Worship LD knows this, especially coming out of Covid, how important being able to livestream now is to the church world. We are always having conversations about what looks good in the room and what looks good online, and when to prioritize one or the other.
I am always trying to find the balance for both, even though sometimes that can be a challenge. Thankfully, my background is actually in film and video, so every time I’m programming, I am always keeping all of those concepts in the back of my brain when I am programming in terms of color choice, intensities, what looks blown out and what doesn’t. Obviously, the type of cameras you use does play a little bit of a role as well. When we rehearse for the weekends, I am always working closely with our video director and the video department to ensure a high-quality level; a broadcast level, but also always making sure that it looks just as good in the room.
Any final thoughts, as you are about to celebrate being at Connection Pointe for a year?
They have been really awesome here. I still have the opportunity to contract with other churches around the country, and I am actively doing that, but it is wonderful to be here full-time. Being able to support this ministry, and continue to light their vision, and really continue to revamp their production quality in an intentional, artistically clean looking way has been great. It has honestly been phenomenal to see where they were a year ago and see where they are today. It is amazing. And, it truly would have been impossible for me to do any of this work without our volunteers, Creative Director Aaron Williams, our Creative Arts Pastor, Dan Lidstone, and Production Director Michael Montanari, as well as the rest of our production staff team: Jess Jones, Scott Boers, Brandon Rees, and Audrey Williams.
Installation Solutions
Here’s a look at lighting choices made for six House of Worship installations.
Astera at Maranatha Community Church
Maranatha Community Church Johannesburg, South Africa, has invested in two sets, 16 total, of Astera Titan Tubes for its busy 3,000-seat auditorium in Kempton Park. They were purchased as part of an ongoing commitment to delivering excellent technical production for their services and events. Nereen Bradshaw, head of media at Maranatha, is responsible for creating content, and overseeing lighting, media and video. Always looking out for new technology and elements to enhance their productions, it was an album launch by resident church band, Direction, which prompted the Titan Tube purchase. “We wanted something really extra special for this event,” explained Bradshaw. She is impressed with the brightness of the Titans, most of the time running them only at around 40% intensity. They provide complimentary kinetic effects above the vocals, which look great on camera. “They bring a completely new dimension to the stage and give it a real modern edge which is great for engaging younger members of the congregation and for presenting more energized and invigorated musical segments. Conversely using very slow color or intensity effects has brought a gentle ‘raining’ kinetic experience—so they can be used for upbeat praise as well as quieter worship.” www.astera-led.com
Chauvet Professional at Connection Pointe Christian Church
The 183-year-old Connection Pointe Christian Church outside Indianapolis, IN, with a refurbished lighting rig and a fresh approach to design, has brought a new level of immersion and engagement to services. Last year, the multi-generational church replaced most of its lamp-based fixtures with a new all-LED system. Anchoring the upgrade were over 100 Chauvet Professional fixtures, including 12 Rogue R2X Washes, six Rogue R3X washes, six COLORado Solo Battens, 40 COLORado IP PARs, 22 COLORdash Batten Quad 6 units, and 12 Maverick Force S Spots, supplied by JRLX in Chicago. Speaking of the 350W Maverick moving fixture, LD Alexander Lehman said: “They open up a world of creative possibilities, which really help in our designs. We use them quite often for gobos. I am a big fan of using gobos, both on the stage and in the audience. They add movement and texture, and make a room feel full without the fixture itself needing to move. Plus, when we want them to, they can definitely add a wow factor to our services.” The new rig of lights extends the atmosphere on stage throughout the entire room and that, says Lehman, was the goal the church had in mind with the new approach to lighting their services. www.chauvetprofessional.com
Elation Lighting at Citygate Church Campus
Citygate Church’s new campus in Forest Park, OH, enhances services for live and broadcast audiences using customizable lighting from Elation Professional, specified and installed by integration company S&L Integrated Systems. Although expansion into a new community was a longtime vision of the church, an expensive new build wasn’t necessarily on the agenda. The Forest Park property—an existing church space that had become available under auction in early 2021—was an opportunity that the church couldn’t pass up. For the lighting, the brief from Dustan White, production director at Citygate Church, was for high-quality lighting that was LED-based for cost savings, easier maintenance and durability. There were two main areas to light in the 1,500-capacity sanctuary: a raised band riser that supports a full band and a larger lower deck. Two key luminaires used are the compact Elation Fuze SFX™, a multi-purpose LED spot and effects fixture; and the Elation WW Profile HP™, a high-powered LED warm white ellipsoidal. Elation Platinum Wash ZFX moving head wash fixtures supplement the SFX and WW Profiles. S&L Integrated designed, supplied and installed the lighting system along with motors, and rigging. Elation dealer Freed Sales worked with S&L Integrated to secure the Elation products. www.elationlighting.com
ETC at Holy Redeemer
Holy Redeemer Catholic Church near Grand Rapids, MI needed more light, more color, and more control—but didn’t have the budget for a complete overhaul. With ETC’s flexible lighting solutions, they were able to get a whole new look without installing a whole new system. To add more illumination, David Kolenda of West Michigan Lighting and Controls replaced incandescent fixtures with ETC Desire D22 fixtures featuring a Lustr+ color LED array in the track surrounding the altar. ColorSource Spots and PARs added accents and highlights. “They loved the D22s and ColorSource fixtures—especially with the color tuning,” says Kolenda. “All the fixtures’ output automatically calibrated color so they get an even field from all the fixtures.” The color also offers them more possibilities in the space. When children present scripture plays on the altar, or holidays require a little extra emphasis, the color adds extra vibrancy. The church is also pleasantly surprised they didn’t need to upgrade their ETC Paradigm system, even though it was nearly a decade old. Kolenda designed new menus for the Paradigm Touchscreen controllers, letting the church control all the new looks and colors from the same system they were used to. ETC’s lighting solutions gave Holy Redeemer more looks, more light, and more value. www.etcconnect.com
MEGA LITE at Grand Parkway Baptist Church
The new Grand Parkway Baptist Church in Richmond, TX opened their doors with a mission to present casual yet engaging and refreshing experiences. To do this the church needed quality products with ease of use for their staff and services. With the guidance of Performance Technology Group, LLC (PTG), Building God’s Way and S-B Construction, several MEGA products were selected to support the church’s design. “I believe the availability, quality and ease of use of the products played a big factor for both the church staff and the install commissioning crew in choosing them,” said PTG Senior Project Manager, Misael Loya. A central feature of the church is a video wall system mounted on a high curved 60’ platform made up of MEGA VIEW Falcon 3 panels. The video system also includes the MEGA VIEW MV Eight processor. Uplighting the rear wall curtains behind the video wall display are several MEGA-LITE Baby Color H84, an ultra-compact, color-changing fixture. For control, the church has a MEGA-LITE MEGA Console with the Enlighten software, which is a friendly user interface that allows the church staff to easily control all of their house lighting. The MEGA products add to the tools that Grand Parkway Baptist Church has to deliver their message to their community. www.mega.lighting
Robe at Saddleback Church
The Baptist Evangelical mega-church, Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, CA, wanting to provide a safe worship environment to be in line with the California Covid tier system, erected a temporary tented structure. The technical team at Saddleback Church is led by Technical Director Dennis Choy and John Cassetto, who oversees all the worship sessions and Lighting Manager Jacob Olson. Tasked with looking for an appropriate fixture for the space, “fast, fluid and flexible” was a mantra driving the choice of all the production elements, explained Olson. Twenty-four Robe FORTE luminaires, the Church’s first Robe investment, were specified by Olson and supplied via integrator Amplio Systems for lighting in the 130’ x 130’ temporary amphitheater. With broadcasting in mind, the high CRI was relevant to the decision. “Color is everything,” commented Olson. “A high-powered LED fixture that is flicker-free, can give great skin tones and also be used for multiple effects was a complete win-win for us.” The zoom was another plus point as he likes to be able to zoom the FORTEs out from above the stage to cover the whole audience area. “It ticks all the functionality boxes as well as being sustainable and cost-efficient to run,” says Olson. www.robelighting.com
