Hanging the Greens and decorating the sanctuary are always fun. Christmas Lights can be a source of joy all Advent long. It adds something special to a Christmas Eve service to turn down the lights and sing “Silent Night” with just candles. It is always special to sing the Christmas Carols as hymns during worship at Christmas Tide.

However, running all of those Christmas lights can be a challenge. What if they are high in the Sanctuary, perhaps hanging off columns? Or they may require special dimming modules to control them during videos, so they don’t outshine the screens. In a Megachurch environment, you may have a lighting desk already installed. If so, then you just need to add a few more channels and do some programming. But in a Small to Large Church environment, how do you control the lights? Of course, you can delegate the task to the ushers, to make sure they turn on all of the Christmas Lights before each service. But wouldn’t it be easier to use a master switch in the sound booth? However, to do that, you need to wire the circuits in during construction. I have seen cases where there was a separate circuit with a 110VAC outlet at every window, so you could plug in lights for the windows. With a little planning, you can make this a reality in your next Church Sanctuary.

Sometimes we want to rush out of the sanctuary right after the service. We are busy people, and the Church has a special place in our lives; but we also need to spend time with family on Sundays. Yet sometimes there is a special occasion for those we serve. What if a family has a baptism? Or better yet, someone experiences salvation. They may want to mark the occasion by taking pictures and/or video. Perhaps we should check to see if people are still in the sanctuary after we’ve completed our post production activity. If they are, then perhaps we should keep the lights on so they can get great shots.

In most megachurches today, you will find video cameras. The cameras are there to record the service, so that it can be distributed via DVD, CD, CATV, or over the Internet. Along with the cameras, you will usually find stage lighting. These are sophisticated, computer controlled lighting systems that can light up the stage like daytime. You can easily have so much light shining that the preacher might well observe that he has been “blinded by the light”. This is not a reference to Paul’s dramatic conversion on the way to Damascus (i.e. Acts 22:6), but rather an observation that the light is overwhelming. It makes it hard for the preacher to see the reaction of the audience. This affects the pacing of the sermon, e.g. making it difficult to pause for people to laugh at a joke. The dilemma is that to get good video footage, you have to have a lot of light on the subject. How do we ensure that we have excellent lighting on the stage without disconnecting the preacher from the congregation?

The first step is to make sure that the lighting is well designed. It should be even all the way across the stage, so that the far left is as well lit as the center. The stage should have appropriate back lighting, so that people look three dimensional and not flat. And it should be well diffused, not glaring and bleak. When we pay attention to these issues, we will make sure that we do not walk in darkness, for we have the light of life – John 8:12. And people will get more out of the sermon.

How do you light up the sanctuary for worship? If you have video cameras, then you need lots of light. If you have musicians, then they need light on their music. If you just have a congregation and a preacher, then any lighting will do.

Video cameras require a lot of lighting to get a great picture. If you’re using IMAG, then you need a great picture, so you probably have stage lighting installed. To get a great picture, you need consistent, white light on every spot of the stage. That can be difficult to achieve – i.e. getting the lighting even everywhere the preacher goes during a sermon. And you will find that controlling the lighting can also be a full time job for a volunteer or staff person. Worship is a very dynamic environment, so the lighting has to change to match the action. The lighting should set the focal point, whether it be the preacher or the soloist in the choir loft. This helps people to focus on the Word or praise.

No, I’m not referring to Paul’s dramatic conversion on the Road to Damascus Acts 22:6. Rather, I want to consider lighting in the sanctuary where there are video cameras. The cameras need a lot of light in order to generate a good picture. Typically, that means stage lighting is needed. Now stage lighting is an art in itself, and well covered elsewhere, but what does it do to worship to have all of that wattage? Does it make it harder for the legally blind to see? And does it affect the worship service?

I think it has an impact. Specifically, those who are on stage can easily feel like they have been blinded by the lights. This reduces the connection between people on the stage, e.g. the pastor, and the congregation. If the pastor can’t see them, because of the glare of the video lights, then the pastor can’t tell from their faces whether the Word is getting across or not. This can be a problem for a pastor. What do you think? Do you have stage lighting in your sanctuary? And how do you use it?