Projecting the Message of the Ministry

By Gary Fuller

It has been said that we remember 10 percent of what we read, 20 percent of what we hear, 30 percent of what we see, and 50 percent of what we hear and see. For this reason, projection has become an essential part of services for the Community Life Center in Port Charlotte, Fla.

"The brilliant images capture the hearts and minds of the people during each service, making messages much more powerful," says the Rev. Don Lutz, technical director at the Community Life Center in Port Charlotte, Fla. "You can publish information in a bulletin or have the pastor simply read it aloud, but we've found that creating videos and showing them during services is much more effective." According to Lutz, when the congregation is able to see exactly how certain church programs have affected the lives of their peers and children around the world, they respond much better--often volunteering their time to the causes.

A growing number of churches like Lutz's are implementing sophisticated projection systems in efforts to become more culturally relevant and to add a new visual element to worship services. While these churches come in all shapes and sizes (rectangular, octagonal, U-shaped, long, wide or otherwise), one thing is common to each of them: function. A church is a sanctuary where young and old come to worship and share their beliefs. When designing a projection system for these unique environments, it is therefore important to consider not only bricks and mortar but also the people who attend them.

Demographics play a big role. Knowing whether the congregation is young and contemporary, older and more traditional or somewhere in between is key to designing the right projection system. Most likely, a small midwest church will serve a very different demographic group than a beachside church in California. This factor will impact every aspect of design from screen dimensions to the font size, and especially how projection will be used.

It is important to have an idea of a system's primary, secondary and tertiary uses. Larger churches are likely to use projection for live coverage of services to make the setting more intimate--to enable everyone to see the pastor, even from the back row. Smaller churches, on the other hand, might see the same technology (and the preacher) as overbearing.

Take a look around you. Once you understand the church's objectives, the next step is to look at the church itself. What will be the maximum angle of view? What is the furthest distance a person can sit from the screen and still see it? Will any pillars block this view? And if the projector goes down during a service, how much will it impact the mission? (This last questions determines whether or not projectors need to be easily accessible for repair.)

Aesthetics play a strong role in deciding what the system will look like and where it will be situated. Some permanently mounted screens could cover religious icons and symbols, in which case motorized screens are a better option. These screens can either rise up out of the floor or emerge from the ceiling.

Ambient light is one factor that can make or break a system's impact. Generally, churches are built with numerous stained glass windows that cast early morning light on Sunday worshippers. The effect is beautiful--unless you are trying to project images on screens. Then shadows become a problem.

For front projection systems (the projector is mounted at the back of a church and aimed at a screen), a 3000- to 4000-ANSI lumens model is adequate. This is only the case, however, if screen images are no more than 12 feet wide and ambient light is not overpowering. Multiple projectors can also be stacked to increase brightness levels.

Sometimes rear projection is a better option. In this setup, the projector is mounted in a dark area behind the screen, so ambient light is not so problematic. As little as 2000 ANSI lumens do the trick in these setups, but unfortunately, they are usually more expensive and require more space, which is not always available.

Avoid the usual pitfalls

As one large Tennessee church found out, achieving the right brightness level is critical. It spent thousands of dollars on a projection system featuring a 2000-lumen projector and a 24-foot screen. Unfortunately, the image is too large and faint and looks like a watermark. Instead of enhancing services, it detracts from them.

Other churches turn off house lights to get better on-screen images, but this is not an option when Bible-reading is also part of services.

Projection angle is another common challenge. Rarely is a screen installed directly in front of a projector; it is often mounted at an angle, which affects the geometry of the images being projected. At the Community Life Center, for example, the sanctuary has more sides than an octagon. From the angle at which its projectors are mounted, images shot straight onto the screens would be skewed about 10 degrees vertically and horizontally. To correct this, the projectors face lenses positioned parallel to the screens. Then, vertical and horizontal lenses offset the images so they appear square on the screens.

A projection system is a large investment and should be thought out carefully. After all, a garish theatrical setting is no more appealing than a roll-up screen and a weak, inexpensive projector sitting on a table at the back of the church. The system you choose should meet your needs and even "wow" your congregation when appropriate.

Your best bet is to deal with a professional AV-system integrator. Find a company that will bring projectors to your site and test them, then discuss your church's needs before design commences. You can go it alone, but getting the design right--plus necessary support and training--requires professional consultation and a company that stands behind its work.

Gary Fuller is the sales manager for Pacific and Rental Staging division of Christie Digital Systems. Contact him via e-mail at gary.fuller@christiedigital.com. For more information about projection design, contact Media Visions, Inc., (Birmingham, Ala.) at (205) 324-4600 or Multi-Media Solutions in Alcoa, Tenn., at (800) 366-1531.