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Dealing with church leaders and building committees is not always a heavenly experience. But armed with intel, it can be better.
The house of worship market is on the leading edge of growth for the AVL industry, with many churches around the country undergoing renovations or building new spaces. And in the process, they are looking for the latest and greatest in audio, video and lighting.
However, many AVL consultants, designers and integrators have learned that dealing with church leaders and their building committees is not always a heavenly experience. They might have ideas that are antiquated, too many people making decisions or expect special treatment because of the segment they fall in. Plus, many believe their vision shouldn’t be questioned regardless of how unwise it is.
David B. Sisney, vice president pf business development for Stark Raving Solutions in Lenexa, Kan., says the secret to working well with a worship facility is to really get to know the church, understand its DNA, and listen carefully to leaders' unique programmatic needs for each of the spaces that you are working in.
“We believe you must have a heart for the church in order to truly serve the church – if your heart is in the right place, then you are in ministry with the church and helping them achieve their vision and mission in the world." David B. Sisney, Vice President of Business Development, Stark Raving Solutions, Lenexa, KS
“We believe you must have a heart for the church in order to truly serve the church – if your heart is in the right place, then you are in ministry with the church and helping them achieve their vision and mission in the world,” he says. “Understanding their culture, their people, their staffing and volunteer structure is critical to the short- and long-term success of the deployed solution.”
Here are four important things to know about church clients.
1-The church staff are not experts
Jesus “Chuy” Esquivel, CEO of 4Stage LLC in Dallas, says one of the complexities of working AVL projects for churches is understanding how to diplomatically address issues that can arise between the AVL professional and the church staff responsible for operating the AVL equipment at the church.
For example, he cites a time his team arrived at a job to provide audio support to a sound tech working for a church in the DFW area.
Esquivel soon discovered that the real problem was that [the sound tech] had been instructed by a “friend” ... that all this equipment was necessary.
“He requested we install a substantial amount of sound equipment he had recently purchased from a well-known music store. We quickly became confused because he had purchased a [digital sound console] (Behringer X32); but also, a substantial amount of external equipment intending to install a full rack with Graphic EQ, 4-Channel Compressor, 4-Channel Gate and Exciter,” he says. “The confusion stemmed from the fact that the console actually internally and digitally included all the functionality of the additional external equipment.”
Esquivel soon discovered that the real problem was that he had been instructed by a “friend” (who conveniently happened to work as a sales representative at the music store the equipment had been purchased from) that all this equipment was necessary. They worked with him to show him what truly was necessary, and the church returned the unnecessary items back to the store.
2-Volunteers aren’t always helpful
Josh Berry, founder and director of sales at intyde in Franklin, Tenn., notes that occasionally, churches will have members who are local electricians, or members who want to volunteer their services to save on labor costs or other expenses. And while this can work sometimes with smaller jobs, it can also cause major issues.
... occasionally, churches will have members who are local electricians, or members who want to volunteer their services to save on labor costs... And while this can work sometimes with smaller jobs, it can also cause major issues.
“One church had a retired electrician as a church member who wanted to help with electrical needs. When we arrived and delivered the smart sequencing panel, he was confused and had never seen one before,” Berry says. “The electrician then pulled 14 circuits to the amp rack, and more than half of them were not powering on. It turned out that he was trying to use several pre-existing junction boxes and pull the new circuits from there. The major issue was that he forgot to actually connect the new circuits with the existing ones, which led to a full day of troubleshooting with a full crew of people to finish the electrical ourselves.”
It wound up costing the church much more in labor and missed deadlines, which is why Berry suggests to push back on the idea of using volunteer workers.
3-They should never jump right into technical discussions
Esquivel says it’s always best to understand a church client’s vision before talking particulars, as the personnel between the church leaders and the technical contractors often distort the message if they discuss the technical details too early.
“Our slogan and business motto is, ‘It’s your vision, make it clear!’ We think this slogan is particularly important to remind us that our role on the client’s AVL project is to facilitate moving the church from their current position to their envisioned position."
4-They’re not always realistic about time and money
A phrase Sisney has come to live by is that “all it takes is time and money – and there never is enough of either it seems.”
“Case in point: a church decides they must reduce cost and convinces us to let them pull their own wire, then they delay the project because they don’t have the wire pulled, and eventually they have us pull the wire for them because they can’t get it done.” David B. Sisney, Vice President of Business Development, Stark Raving Solutions, Lenexa, KS
“Case in point: a church decides they must reduce cost and convinces us to let them pull their own wire, then they delay the project because they don’t have the wire pulled, and eventually they have us pull the wire for them because they can’t get it done."
It is important to understand that most churches these days have unique visions and there is not a “cookie cutter” approach that will work with today’s church’s AVL needs.
