Today's house of worship has acoustic, audio, and video needs not only in the sanctuary but also in retreat facilities, fellowship halls, remote sanctuaries, and academic environments. Each space has its own needs and requirements but they must be interconnected. Group worship and services remain a priority, but the modern house of worship also supports youth programs, choir and music programs, Sunday school, outreach ministries and broadcast ministries both traditional and internet-based.
Photo credit: JDB Sound Photography, Flickr
It takes a consulting team with a wide range of experience in many aspects of the audio/video field to design the type of integrated systems needed by the modern house of worship. Infrastructure must meet today's needs and stand ready to support future growth and technologies. Systems must be designed for quality and for use by a small number of volunteers who may have little technical knowledge. AV designers need to be skilled in communicating complex issues to the client and in educating end users.
Garth Hemphill is an associate principal of audio/video at Jaffe Holden.
Read more from the SCN Consultants Guide:
How to Go Global, by Steve Emspak
How to Add Communications to the IT Infrastructure, by Ashok Bhatt
How to Design Performing Arts Halls for the Modern Age, Steve Pollock
How to Build an AV Consulting Practice Within a Larger Engineering Organization, by Greg Rushton
