Like it or not, your lighting setup makes a statement about your worship service long before your team takes the platform. Traditional or contemporary, lighthearted or liturgical — your house and stage lights are the lens through which new faces, regular attendees, and online guests will view your service. Therefore, it’s important to be mindful of the impact of good lighting.
- What Is the Role of Stage Lighting in a Church?
- Are Stage Lights Right for My Church?
- Stage Lights for Your Church
- Wash Lighting
- Spot Lighting
- Haze Machines
- Lighting Controllers
What Is the Role of Stage Lighting in a Church?
Are you new to stage lighting? It’s not as overwhelming as it seems. Lighting serves three major functions: visibility, atmosphere, and camera support. Some lighting fixtures, such as spots and PARs aimed at the stage, help the congregation stay tuned in to what’s happening onstage. Atmospheric wash lights and uplights utilized in the background can complement the stage or architecture of your space, and they go a long way in enhancing beauty, promoting reverence, and providing comfort. Without adequate lighting, even the best professional camera will struggle to yield adequate results. So, whether it’s sight lines, ambience, or online participation you’re after, choosing the right lighting setup can help you create an effective and engaging environment for worship.
Are Stage Lights Right for My Church?
If the idea of stage lights calls to mind laser light shows and out-of-control concert productions, then you’re not alone. Many smaller and traditional churches are understandably hesitant about investing in a modern lighting setup. If this describes you, then we invite you to consider the following:
- Good lighting is timeless. Music styles and furnishings (wood pallets, anyone?) will come and go. But with a versatile LED lighting system, you are safeguarding your church against transient lighting trends.
- Good lighting is affordable. Compared to traditional fixtures, a modern system of cool-running LED lights can save money year over year (with as much as 85% savings on reduced electricity costs). And that is just good stewardship.
- Good lighting is available for all sizes and budgets. Stage lights aren’t just for megachurches. As you’ll see in our recommendations, a modest lighting setup can be built for well under $1,000.
- Good lighting is easier to incorporate than ever. Modern fixtures, sound-activated programs, and app-based controls are empowering volunteers to get involved in lighting design even without prior experience. This means that creating a sharp-looking environment doesn’t require hiring dedicated personnel.
- Good lighting makes streaming look better. It makes any camera capture better images. Lighting is the place to start if you’re thinking about improving your video streaming quality or cameras. Learn more by reading “7 Ways to Improve Your Church Streaming Presence.”
Stage Lights for Your Church
A combination of these types of lights covers most stage-lighting needs for small and medium-size churches.
- Wash lights have a soft edge and cover a wide area. Static wash lights flood the platform for even front-fill coverage, backlight, and architectural scenic effects. Moving head models are easy to adjust and allow fewer lights to handle complex productions.
- Spotlights have hard edges and are great when you want to highlight a defined area. Use barn doors on static spots to block out areas where you want to avoid spillover, such as on screens and off the platform. In addition to enabling flexible scene adjustments, moving head spots incorporate gobos to create shapes and patterns with automated movement for subtle and not-so-subtle atmospheric effects.
Learn more by reading “Four Essential Lights Your Church Auditorium Needs.” Illuminate your services with these great lighting fixtures.
Wash Lighting
Chauvet DJ SlimPAR Pro W USB Variable White PAR Light
This compact PAR wash light slips into the tightest spaces to deliver high-quality lighting directly onto your stage. Chauvet DJ SlimPAR Pro W USB three-in-one LEDs provide a versatile range of lighting color temperatures (warm white, cool white, and amber) without gels. DMX and D-Fi compatibility provide wired and wireless control. The 6-color Chauvet DJ SlimPAR Pro H USB is also available. These fixtures provide a lot of flexibility and can be added to nearly any space around the church that would benefit from stage lighting, including children, student, and youth areas.
Eliminator Mega Flat PAK8 EP Lighting System
As an affordable turnkey wash lighting solution, the Mega Flak PAK8 EP lighting system is tough to beat. Mix RGB and UV black light to bathe your platform or walls with vibrant LED color that’s perfect for uplighting and stage lighting. You get eight power cables, seven DMX cables, and a soft transport bag, plus 48 built-in light shows and 64 color macros for quick programming to knock it out of the park.
Chauvet DJ COLORband Pix ILS LED Striplight Fixture
With pixel mapping, ILS compatibility, and built-in D-Fi USB transceiver compatibility, the Chauvet DJ COLORband Pix ILS could be the blinder/wash light your rig is missing. This feature-packed, 38-inch light strip uses 12 RGB LEDs to create a vivid range of colors, and it comes preloaded with multiple programs for plug-and-play ease. Its flicker-free operation looks great, even on camera. With completely silent operation, it’s the perfect choice to highlight special architectural features of your room or to easily “paint” large walls with light — even in quiet venues or intimate settings.
Chauvet DJ Freedom PAR Q9X4 Uplighting Kit
For convenient, go-anywhere wireless versatility, the Freedom PAR Q9X4 uplighting kit from Chauvet DJ can help you go the distance. With four Freedom PAR Q9 wash lights, one RFC remote (which doesn’t require line of sight), one multicharger, and one carrying bag, this easy-to-operate kit includes everything you need to make drapes and walls glow with engaging uplighting, wherever you are.
Chauvet Pro Rogue R1 BeamWash RGBW LED Moving-head Beam/Wash
The Chauvet Pro Rogue R1 BeamWash is a high-quality, sophisticated, and reliable moving-head wash fixture. The unique convex bubble lenses covering each of the seven quad-color LEDs help the Rogue R1 BeamWash achieve superb color blending and dramatic (5-to-58-degree) zoom effects. It’s particularly useful for eliminating harsh shadows onstage.
Chauvet Pro Rogue R2X Wash RGBW LED Moving Head
Durable, dependable, and extremely versatile. This workhorse fixture delivers impressive quad-color lighting with five zones of pixel-map control and a broad 12-to-49-degree motorized zoom. The Chauvet Pro Rogue R2X Wash‘s controls include selectable pan/tilt ranges and dimming modes, and its automated programs make setup extremely simple.
Spot Lighting
Chauvet DJ EVE E-100Z 100-watt Warm White Ellipsoidal Spot
If your stage calls for the hard-edged, focused beam of a traditional theater spot, but without the heat and power consumption, then consider the Chauvet DJ EVE E-100Z ellipsoidal spot. This super-bright mounted LED spot gives you manual zoom and framing shutters and a warm white light that takes well to standard gels and gobos (not included).
Chauvet Pro Rogue R1E Spot 200-watt Moving-head Spot
The Chauvet Pro Rogue R1E moving-head spot’s powerful 200-watt LED light engine delivers impressive visual effects and versatile control. This top contender is equipped with rotating and static gobo wheels, a 3-facet rotating prism with iris and frost beam shaping, and a vibrant 8-color wheel for stunning visual diversity to inspire and captivate.
Chauvet DJ Intimidator Spot 260X 75-watt LED Moving-head Spot
This motorized LED fixture has what it takes to get people engaged and on their feet. Between its powerful 75-watt LED lamp, eight gels, seven gobos, 3-facet prism, and strobe options, you can create tons of cool effects with the Chauvet DJ Intimidator Spot 260X. There are nearly endless creative ways to use this fixture to highlight specific features of a room or energize a platform. Try using the built-in gobos to create special looks on the stage or dramatic effects on organ pipes. The 100-watt Chauvet DJ Intimidator Spot 360X and IP-rated Intimidator Spot 360X IP are also available.
Haze Machines
While most churches want to avoid heavy clouds of fog billowing across the platform, a small amount of evenly distributed haze will make lighting appear much more natural and effective, like morning sunbeams across a meadow.
Chauvet Pro Amhaze Stadium Tour-ready Haze Machine
Creating ambience is quick and easy with the Chauvet Pro Amhaze Stadium haze machine, which only requires 30 seconds of warm-up time. Its DMX-controlled output and blower speed give users exacting control from afar. The rugged road case and M12 rigging make the Amhaze Stadium perfect for portable and permanent churches alike. Using haze is a lighting technique that’s been around for over 100 years. It provides a harmless, sparkling contrast in the air that’s designed to enhance the beauty of the light traveling through it.
Chauvet DJ Hurricane Haze 4D DMX Haze Machine
Smaller spaces that call for a versatile, high-powered hazer will find their match in the Chauvet DJ Hurricane Haze 4D. Controls for output, fan speed, and scoop — accessible via onboard controls, DMX, and an included wired remote — equip this haze machine for sophisticated stage programs. Its compact size is perfect for mounting, too.
Lighting Controllers
Of course, your lighting is only as good as the ability of the person designing and running it. A good lighting console gives your technicians all the robust capacity needed to take your lighting to its full potential while also being easy enough for volunteers to quickly master. Check out these great lighting controllers.
Chroma-Q Vista EX Lighting Software Control Surface
Whether you’re lighting a small show or a major, Vegas-style extravaganza, you want immediate and comprehensive hands-on control. The Chroma-Q Vista EX delivers exactly that. Harnessing the power of the latest Vista 3 lighting and media control software, the Vista EX features 12 customizable playback faders, 60 assignable buttons, and eight encoders, giving you masterful physical control for even the most demanding applications while providing the flexibility to adapt to any type of production or event. It offers up to 1,024 onboard DMX channels and up to 8,192 with the addition of an optional Ethernet-to-DMX node. With its delightfully compact footprint, the Vista EX qualifies as carry-on luggage, so you’ll always be able to zip through airport lines and make your connecting flight. And at just 21 inches wide, it has no trouble squeezing virtually into any booth or onto any worksurface.
Chamsys QuickQ 10 1-universe Compact Lighting Console
With 512 DMX channels available, this compact Chamsys QuickQ 10 console can easily tackle any small lighting rig as well as larger rigs with a slew of moving heads, PARs, and maybe even a hazer or two. This console offers incredible operational flexibility, RDM compliance, and even remote-controlled smartphone/tablet capability for the console itself. A large touchscreen provides a graphical interface and allows users to easily view their fixtures, groups, scenes, colors, effects, and more. Many enjoy the QuickQ 10’s easy-to-master software and operation, which make it a stellar choice for venues with lighting volunteers who require a console with a minor learning curve.
Read about more incredible options in “12 Best Lighting Consoles.”
Let Sweetwater Help with Your Lighting
Great church services deserve great lighting. Sweetwater Sales Engineers are pros at illuminating the best gear to match your specific needs and budget. Call us at (800) 222-4700 for personalized recommendations to get started today.
