Sundays

Effective and user-friendly church presentation software is a necessity for pastors and church communicators committed to creating stellar church presentations. Since last January's 2.0 version release, Faithlife’s Proclaim 2.0 Church Presentation Software has made a number of notable updates as of January 2018. While this is not a full version software release, just a key update to Proclaim 2.0, now technically known as Proclaim 2.6, there is plenty to pay attention to.

Portable music began in the 1950s with handheld devices that simply received and broadcast radio signals. Radio was the first portable musical medium that could be taken with you anywhere. Technically, portable radios were not personal music devices because they only broadcast content that was produced and selected by radio stations. As time and technology evolved, portable musical devices were developed that gave music lovers choice, flexibility, and freedom. 

Projectors are extremely important elements of the worship service for the majority of churches. Worship techs must regularly service and maintain equipment so that weekend services and events run smoothly. Some churches have just one project and screen; others use multiple screens during their services. Keeping projection equipment in top shape is vital. Projector lamps are a key feature to pay attention to.

Great sound doesn’t have to be complicated sound. In fact, a simple setup and mix can increase the potential for better sound quality. Whether the need for simple sound is a necessity (like a new church plant) or a choice (like acoustic-style worship), it is important to understand what contributes to great sound with a simple setup.

When working in church tech ministry, there always seems to be “what next” moments. What’s the latest gear? How do I get things to look and sound better? Many church techs, and for good reasons, are always looking to improve the church experience. At some point, however, we need to take a step back and ask ourselves the question: WHY are we doing this? Is it to make it look good or is it to bring glory to God?

Creating a thorough soundcheck process is one of the best ways ensure that a consistent audio mix is achieved at church each week. There are different ways to approach a soundcheck, but the end result should always be quality sound from the stage to the main loudspeakers, a good monitor mix for each musician and vocalist, and a sound tech that is prepared to mix the live event.

We know as ministry leaders that you often don't get the chance to visit other churches on Sunday mornings. One of the perks I have is that I don't work for a church and can take time each month to visit churches in my area. Recently, our family visited a new church plant that meets at my daughter's middle school. I immediately noticed the lack of clutter on the stage area. I also noticed that there worship leaders were leading from iPads with no sheet music.

Streaming audio over Wi-Fi for assistive listening is the new thing for the hard-of-hearing, multilingual listeners and overflow areas of church services and events. For several decades the assistive listening technology landscape has been dominated by three twentieth-century analog technologies: Inductive Loop, Radio Frequency (usually FM) and Infrared (IR). Wi-Fi audio is now offering comparable and often superior alternatives to analog systems. How do they compare and how do churches know if Wi-Fi is the right solution? Let’s find out.