Most locations have their own unique needs when it comes to developing the right lighting plan. When it comes to church lighting, it can be overwhelming with all of the factors that need to be considered. Whether its lighting the stage or the pews, illuminating this type of location doesn't have to be stressful. Below are a few suggestions to help you implement the right church lighting for your location.
The stage is generally the central focus of a church, since it is typically where the sermon will be given and you want all eyes naturally drawn to this area. Lighting is the ideal way to make it the focal point of the space.
By choosing overhead lights that are easy to adjust as needed, helps to create a lighting plan full of versatility to meet the changing needs of your location.
When you have only one light source for a stage can cause a variety of issues. Instead, it is best to have a row of lighting, which will illuminate directly overhead of the stage to allow for soft shadows to be created. When this is combined with additional spotlight style fixtures, you'll end up creating lighting that is focus driven for the audience, as well as being layered enough so its not too harsh on the eyes.
You don't want to flood the podium with too much bright light that will create an uncomfortable experience for the speaker at the podium, but you still want to create ample light. The best solution is to use layered directional spotlights in opposing directions. For example, we suggest placing a light fixture to illuminate the podium from the front and another fixture to light it from the back, which is an ideal way to create a more focused light, while keeping the concentration at a manageable level for the eyes. You could also consider a three-way or four-way light directional setup, depending on the size of the stage with a larger stage, or larger congregation area requiring more light for overall better visibility.
This area has its own unique lighting requirements. Since, it needs to to have clear visibility of the stage from all angles. Below are a few key suggestions for this area of church lighting.
When it comes to this area of lighting, we recommend mixing different levels and sources of lighting to find the most appropriate outcome. If the area has some form of natural lighting, such as from windows or skylights, it is very important that light source is used. This will help to reduce lighting costs since you will need fewer artificial lighting solutions, but it will also help create a lighting plan that is gentle on the eyes. Combining natural lighting and artificial lighting together in effective layers, it will make lighting the congregation area a much easier process.
The majority of congregation members will bring their own reading materials, in addition to provided pamphlets, hymnals, and church communications that are handed out when they arrive. So, lighting needs to be concentrated enough to provide a reliable level of task lighting, without being overbearing. A good rule of thumb is to keep either your lumen output higher with warmer temperatures, or your lumen outputs lower with cooler temperatures. This will help provide the right balance of gentle and bright light output.
Installing dimmable lights in your setup, will allow you to adjust lighting throughout the service, which will provide the best overall result for the congregation. For instance, having brighter lights that are dimmed during songs or prayer will not only create an experience that is more peaceful for the setting, but also will help keep the congregation focused on the message that is being delivered.
