We have quite a few people from the community and from other churches come through our facility at Cornerstone. We have renovated an old downtown store and created an inviting environment for church. People always seem to be interested in where we found all of our “stuff.”  Stuff like the signage, furniture, and equipment we use.  I just wanted to share a few quick links that may help some of the church planters out there. It’s touch creating a great environment without spending large amounts of money. Hopefully some of the links may help.

• Signs and Sign Holders – Displays2Go (Look through their specials and closeouts)
• Café Furniture – IKEA (Shipping is extremely high, so visit a store to see everything)
• Curtains, Pipe and Drape – Georgia Expo (Curtains and drapes can really help control sound in a small space)
• Metal CD Cases for our Sermon Series – Effectuality (We bundle audio CD’s from our sermon series to give out)
• Audio and Lighting Equipment – Northern Sound & Light (The absolute cheapest place to buy sound equipment)
• Musical Equipment – Sweetwater (Great to work with)
• Cables and Adapters - CablesToGo (Their rapidrun cables are awesome to pull through tight spaces)
• Coffee – Land of a Thousand Hills (Drink Coffee, Do Good)
• Whiteboards – Whiteyboard (Cheap and Effective)
• Cheap TV Carts – Tyke Supply (It’s tough finding a good quality tv stand – these work great)
• Banners – Ahbanner (If you are comfortable creating your own graphics, this is a cheap place to order from)

If you use a little creativity, you’ll be surprised by what you can accomplish on a limited budget. We were able to get some furniture from a local store that closed. Picking great paint colors will make a huge difference. Don’t be afraid to be bold.

For a long time, I have had a passion for helping smaller churches utilize technology. From assisting them with their websites, to setting up podcasts, to helping plan audio and video systems, I have gained much experience over the last 15 years.  So today, I’m making it official, I am offering my services to other churches as a consultant and web designer.

My goal is to help churches develop an overall technology and web strategy.  If we’re not careful, technology can consume huge amounts of money and distract us from our main mission of making disciples. I want to help churches realize how it can create connections between the people inside your church and the community. Technology is an incredible tool to advance the Kingdom when used properly.  Since I am a pastor, I will only have limited time available for consulting and web design.  My focus will be on smaller churches with smaller budgets.  Click on the Design and Consulting Link from my website to find out more about how we can partner together.

Own the Mix

Since I was sharing about a resource to train your tech team in an earlier blog post today, I wanted to share some other resources that you might find helpful.  The first is Own the Mix, an online training resource for your audio team.  Here is how they describe the service

OwnTheMix.com is a comprehensive audio training solution for the modern church. Created by Buckhead Church’s Audio Director, Dustin Whitt, and Music Director, Chris Green, you will learn secrets to creating irresistible worship environments. Whether novice or professional, there is plenty for everyone inside. Subscribers have an all-access pass to every video, and are connected to all of OwnTheMix.com’s users through a state-of-the-art social network.

Check out the video below for a sample of the teaching that you’ll find

Transposr

The second service I want to highlight is Transposr. It allows you to transpose chord charts and mp3 files into different keys.  This is a great way to make practice tracks in different keys.  It will change the key of a mp3 file without changing the tempo.  I have created accompaniment tracks in new keys several times in the past, but it required a confusing mix of plugins and audio programs to accomplish.  This is a free service provided by Planning Center Online and it works great.  You will need to know the original key of the song to make it work.  We are using and implementing Planning Center to schedule our worship teams and to layout the flow of our services each week.

I have looked at both of these services in the past, but I want to thank Church Media Design for reminding me about them in their latest podcast.  Check out the CMD.tv podcast for great technology and computer tutorials.

I recently received a copy of the book Sound, Lighting and Video: A Resource for Worship to review here on the blog.  This is really a great book that fills a very important need in the church.  I am always looking for good resources that help volunteers get up to speed in using tech equipment at church.  This is a book that will help beginners and experienced users alike with an overview of equipment and methods.  I am already passing it around to our tech volunteers and we will plan on using the book in our training.

First, let me give you my background.  Although I am a pastor, I am always playing with audio and video equipment.  I’m the guy that reads through the entire manual of every single piece of equipment at the church and then plays with it to try it out.  As pastor, I want to know how things work and how they function.  I’m also the guy at church who helps running wire and installing new equipment.  At times, I also train our tech workers and get them up and going as well.  I have had experience with designing and installing both audio and video systems, although I’ve not gotten into the lighting world yet.

The book is organized into three main sections: sound, lighting, and video.   All of the sections contain diagrams and pictures to help explain the principles and theories. Each section also contains examples of current equipment and how they work.  The section on lighting was the most helpful to me since I haven’t had the opportunity to really learn about all the different types of lights and connectors. The audio section was good, but it was mostly review for me, although I picked up some great info about EQ that I haven’t heard before. The video section had some really good advice on designing and planning video systems in churches and making the switch to wide screen.

Some additional thoughts:

• Since this book is focused on being a resource for worship, I really appreciated the author’s focus on why we are using technology.  We can’t lose sight of the mission of the church.
• A book like this can quickly be outdated because of the rapidly changing technology in the audio, lighting, and video world.  I think the author does a good job of staying focused on the underlying theories of how and why things work.  Just remember that pictures and specific examples may not be that helpful in just a year or two, especially as we see the convergence of computer, audio, and video equipment.
• If you are looking for an advanced, in-depth resource on how every knob works on every piece of equipment you have, then this book probably isn’t for you. It is what it says, a good reference and resource for technology use in worship.  You will still need to read manuals and apply the information in this book to your setting and your environment.

I think this would be a great book for all churches to have in their training library.  I’m glad I had the chance to read and review it.  I will definitely be using it in my ministry.

From the Back Cover

Hallelujah! Finally the book you’ve been waiting for! Sound, Lighting & Video: A Resource for Worship is the only book that tackles the integration and use of light, sound and video for houses or worship. Connect with more people in ways you never thought possible. Written by the managing editor of “Worship Arts & Technology Magazine” you’ll learn how to:

• Integrate sound, lighting and video together from the ground up for easy application
• Connect with more people in ways you’ve never imagined
• Re-examine and re-incorporate your current media systems
• Be up and running like the pros with this beginner-friendly guide
• Solve your greatest technical problems efficiently, without the information overload
• Better communicate your message using media solutions

DISCLOSURE OF MATERIAL CONNECTION: http://cmp.ly/2

We have wanted to make the leap to a digital board at church for a long time, but we haven’t found a board that had everything we needed and was easy to use.  I think we have finally found one that meets our needs and is inexpensive.   This is definitely on our wish list right now.  The PreSonus StudioLive is a 16 channel, digital mixer with Firewire recording capabilities.  It would be perfect for smaller churches who want to have a nice live mixer, but also have the ability to do multi-track recording of their services.

For praise bands, this is awesome.  You can record your practice onto a computer through the firewire interface, then go back to the board and mix the sound just like you want it using your actual practice.  You can save your setup so that on Sunday morning, it’s as simple as hitting load to dial in your sound.  If you have ever wanted to do a live worship CD, then this is a great way to easily record the band. The board offers all the great benefits of a digital board, including EQ, compressors, limiters, and gating on all channels.  PreSonus has a blog for the StudioLive with great instructional videos that really highlight some of the advanced features.  If you need more than 16 channels, they offer the ability to join up to four mixers together.  This means that you can physically bolt the boards together and have the board function as a 32, 48, or even 64 channel mixer.

The best thing about this board is price.  You can find the board for purchase for under $2000 at Sweetwater or Northern Sound and Light.  I get excited when I see a product with high-end features for a price that puts it in reach of new & smaller churches.  The best way to understand how it works is to get on the blog or check out the many videos on YouTube about the StudioLive.  Now if only someone would get excited enough about this board to buy two for our church

I wanted to start a new feature here at FaithEngineer and share about some of the tech gear we use at church and some of the gear that we want to use (but can’t afford yet). I’m kicking it off by sharing about the new camcorder that we are using now to film video clips, announcements, and even our services. We have been wanting a camcorder for a while now, and we were blessed to receive this one for free from someone in our community.

The Panasonic AG-HMC70 is a HD camcorder that records in the AVCHD format.  What makes it unique is that it records directly to small SDHC memory cards.  It also has professional audio connectors including two XLR microphone inputs and one 1/8″ stereo input.  It doesn’t have a ton of options, but it does what it is supposed to do, recording great HD video with excellent audio options.  We will be editing footage from this in iMovie, Final Cut Express, and Adobe Premiere.  I will probably transcode the video to 720p, since that is what our widescreen projectors use.  It also has an HDMI output that we can use to send through a switcher or directly to a TV.  It is a great entry level prosumer camcorder for churches that sells for under $2000.   It is big and it is ugly, but it does exactly what we need it to.  Here is a review that shares more about the camcorder.

Lifechurch.tv has started yet another online service called videoteaching.com. This time, they are pulling together great video sermons from many different pastors and offering them as free downloads.  What for?  Here are some of the reasons they suggest:

• Expand your teaching team: Introduce your church to additional perspectives by bringing in top teachers from around the world via video. Who would you like to come speak at your church?
• Make a smooth transition: For churches who are without a pastor during a leadership transition, video messages can help with interim teaching. Line up your message calendar with ease so you can focus on finding the right leader for your church.
• Develop your ministry: You might be bi-vocational or maybe you’re planting a church. Either way, video teaching allows you put more energy into reaching your community by freeing you from weekly message preparation.
• Take a break: Regular rest is essential for pastors who want to maintain a healthy ministry. Whether it’s a sabbatical or just a short vacation, video messages are an excellent way to bring quality teaching to your church during a pastor’s time off.

I think it’s a great idea, although I could see some churches not using it wisely.   I know there are video venues of many churches, but what happens when you are watching a pastor every week that is not even connected to your fellowship?  We have used video teaching during the One Prayer series for the last two years and it has been warmly received.  But again, I don’t think it would be wise to use it every week, unless your church was personally connected to the pastor and leadership of the video teaching.

Lifechurch has really just made it easier to use videos like these.  Many churches have provided video podcasts for the last several years that could be downloaded and shown in church, but now Lifechurch has provided the framework and licensing to make it possible for any church to use.  I think the biggest benefactor of this service is smaller churches without pastors.  What do you think?  Good idea or bad?

I’m continually amazed at how the internet is shaping technology.   I spent a couple of hours experimenting with streaming live video from church.  It was incredibly easy to setup and even more importantly, it was free.  We are looking at hosting a seminar at Cornerstone here in Virginia and broadcasting it live over the internet to two churches in Michigan that are wanting to join in.  Our first run-through was very positive, so I think we will proceed with our plans.

I hooked up an old mini-dv camcorder to my macbook pro through firewire, and then tried out both Mogulus and Ustream.tv.   Both services are relatively simple to configure and start your broadcast.  The only annoying thing about both services is that they are ad-supported.  Mogulus offers a pro version for around $350 a month that removes the ads, but that is out of our reach for a small seminar like we are planning.

I read recently about Watershed, which is a service of Ustream, and I think it will work perfectly.  Basically, for lower usages, you pay $1 per hour per viewer.  You can brand everything with your own logo, embed the player in your own website, and all ads are removed.  You can read more about using watershed with churches at ChurchCrunch.

A few lessons I learned:

• If you want to go without ads and make it look more professional, then be willing to pay.  Mogulus offers a pro account, and Ustream has the Watershed service
• If you want to broadcast your worship service, make sure you have the correct licensing. You’ll probably want to start with WorshipCast and CCLI
• If you are using a mac, then check out CamTwist.  It’s an amazing free program that lets you overlay text, graphics, and even show your desktop, movies, and slideshows.  I also have a copy of BoinxTV, and I might end up using that.
• If you are using a PC, then definitely check out Procaster – It’s a great front-end for Mogulus that is super easy to use.  You can quickly switch between the video and your screen.
• Run your sound through a soundboard if possible if you are mixing multiple sources.  Be sure to set the sound volume on the streaming setup so that it’s not too loud or too soft.
• And the biggest lesson … It doesn’t require a huge budget to broadcast.  If you don’t mind having ads, then it is easy and free to setup a live streaming channel for your church.

One of the easiest ways for churches to get more involved with video is by creating photo slideshows.  You can just take your pictures straight from your digital camera and use them to make a video.   It is easy, effective, and quick.   I have used the free Microsoft Photostory which does a good job of panning and zooming through your pictures, but it doesn’t do anything fancy, and the results are less than spectacular.   On my mac, I like to use iPhoto ’09 to do photo slideshows.  You have several options, and the new “shatter” theme is awesome.  You can show photo captions, but you can’t really add text slides in the final slideshow.

That brings me to the new kid on the block, Animoto.com.   I’ve blogged about it before, but it has gotten even better than before.   You simply upload your photos to their website, add text, choose music, and hit create. That’s it. It’s not complicated or hard, and you’ll be amazed at the end result.  You can upload your own music, or choose from their library of great songs.  Animoto actually analyzes your photos and creates a video to match them to the music.  Animoto then provides you with the finished video file, embed codes, and several ways to share the final video, so you can easily incorporate the video into your website or show in your church.

Videos under 30 seconds are free, but you’ll have to pay $3 per video, or $30 per year for unlimited use.  I’ll even help you get started with Animoto. If you sign up for the one-year pass, you can get $5 off by using the referral code DPQIVMCW.

Here is a recent video that my wife created for our local community-wide Bible school.  I’ve done enough video-editing to know how hard it would be to create a video like this.  You could use videos like this to promote upcoming events or show highlights from past events.  We’ve even thought about making announcement videos for church using it.  What are some ways you have used Animoto?

Over the past year, I have been able to work with some talented audio contractors and consultants.   If you are local to southwest Virginia, let me introduce you to some of the companies that helped Cornerstone design and implement the sound system we are currently using.

Jim Sharp at TechGnome Productions in North Carolina provided some great help in the early stages of our building renovation.  He gave us some great ideas and even provided some training for our sound techs.   Jim knows his stuff and does quality work.  His company is used to handling projects start to finish, including all design and installation.  Because of budget constraints, we wanted to have more involvement in purchasing and installing equipment.  We ended up using some of his ideas, and I appreciate his willingness to help us out.

We ended up purchasing our equipment from several companies.  Northern Sound and Light gave us some great deals on most of the equipment, and Scott Oliver from Pro Audio Solutions helped us with the rest.  Several of the guys in the church handled the installation of all the audio and video equipment and wiring.  It wasn’t much fun crawling around the attic, but we ended up saving about half of the quoted cost by doing the work ourselves.  Once we got everything installed, we met Chris Gennette from iJamUSA. He was able to build a great sound desk and then he helped us tune and setup the system.  Chris is a great guy located in Hillsville, Virginia.  He was super easy to work with and I look forward to working with him in the future.

I also have to give a shout out to my friends over at Gravel Road Entertainment.  I’ve talked with them in the past and look forward to getting their input on some future projects.

Whenever dealing with consultants and contractors, make sure you know up front how much input you can have in the project.  Some companies welcome the involvement and some companies would rather handle the job from start to finish.  You will need to find the right match for your church depending on the level of expertise in your church.  By doing most of the work ourselves, we saved half of the quoted price and we ended up with better equipment.   I would recommend any of these companies if you are considering upgrading your sound system.

Here are a few pics of our how our system turned out.  Remember we are in a small intimate worship environment.  We have seating for around 200 people.   It sounds great and we finally can control the sound in the room.  Notice the curtains behind the stage which helped.  Our mains and monitors are from QSC, and the sub is from Danley Labs.   This setup works great in this room and can easily provide enough sound for 400+ people.

We’ve showed this video a few times before church and it really emphasizes what we want our church to be.   We want Cornerstone to be a very safe place where you can hear a dangerous message.

this video is available for purchase at Worshiphousemedia.com