Other articles in this series:
Tips to Help a Small Church Look Like a Big Church #2
Tips to Help a Small Church Look Like a Big Church #3
I recently visited a small church that has a lot going for it – a healthy congregation with a wide range of ages (if you have mostly old people or mostly young people in your church, it isn’t healthy,) a fantastic young preacher and a talented worship leader. This ministry is poised to boom. Over the next few weeks I’ll share three simple things (common to most smaller ministries I’ve visited) that, with improvement, would enhance the church as they move to the next level:
1. Get your lighting right. You don’t need expensive lasers, fog and spotlights. In fact, with LEDs, professional lighting has become affordable. And just because the megachurch down the road looks like a Disney World laser show doesn’t mean you have to – do what’s appropriate and tasteful for your worship style and space. Just make sure whoever is up front leading or speaking is lighted properly. A well-lit leader draws and holds the eye to the stage.
This ministry had attractive and simple backlighting on the stage, but the pastor’s face was not properly illuminated. His face was in shadows but the lower half of his body was lighted. And when he did move into the light he had dark shadows under his eyes. Contrast that with a megachurch I attended last week – the speaker, while standing on a totally dark stage, was completely lit from head to toe – without any ghoulish shadows under his eyes. How is this possible? With uplighting – soft lights on the floor that help illuminate the face.
At one small church where I was the music director we had amazing lighting. A volunteer who had college production experience with stage lighting was able to work miracles with our tiny budget. Dig around, you’ll never know what talents are hidden in your congregation. Here are a few articles to get your creative juices flowing:
Stage Lighting – Shadows on Faces
How to Get Started With Basic Stage Lighting at Your Church
The Benefits of LED Lighting (you’ll find lots of articles and ideas at this awesome website!)
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