Saddleback Church aims to connect people to Jesus in every way possible. One key avenue is through its weekend services, held at campuses throughout Southern California, internationally, and online. The church employs all available tools to create a meaningful experience for attendees, utilizing high-end production techniques such as lighting, camera work, and stage design.
Most congregants have no idea the hours of work and intentionality that goes into creating a seamless, distraction-free environment to worship Jesus and learn from the Bible. At the heart of making that happen is Saddleback’s production director, Lyanne Low. Like an air traffic controller, Low meticulously orchestrates the intricate movement of lighting, music, stage transitions, and screen content, ensuring each element takes off and lands seamlessly without a hitch. Every weekend Low is able to wrangle the chaos to allow creativity to shine through, using her role to support other artists so that they can successfully point the spotlight on Jesus. Low recalls, “I remember one service when our volunteer band leader was having trouble with music tracks playback. This led to some miscues of tracks during a speaking moment, awkward transitions between service elements, and made it difficult for the worship leader to begin songs at the correct moment. I spoke with the music director between services, and he was able to coach the band leader, helping him to make adjustments on tracks in Ableton and giving clear direction on when to fire tracks. These minor adjustments allowed the service to flow a lot better. The congregation may not always know why things feel off, but they can sense it. Helping to resolve these issues eliminates unnecessary distractions and allows worshipers to focus on Jesus.”
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As a production director, Low’s role extends beyond mere oversight, as she must shepherd the event from its inception to completion.
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Low's journey began in Malaysia, where she attended church as a child at her aunt’s invitation. By age 13 she was serving in multiple ministries–kids, youth, production, and worship. Like at most churches, she filled in wherever she saw a need, but her passion gravitated towards music and production. However, after experiencing church hurt, she became spiritually disillusioned and lost her trust in the church.
Her journey of faith and music took a significant turn when she moved to Boston to study at Berklee College of Music. There, amidst a sea of talented musicians, Low found herself grappling with self-doubt, but also discovered a new calling in stage management. Through stage management Low discovered a new passion and skill set–she did every single on-campus theater production for Berklee for the next three years. Her artistic sense wasn't wasted; it enhanced her abilities in theatrical stage management.
Upon graduating from Berklee, Low moved to Los Angeles to start her career. However, sudden personal setbacks prompted her to rethink everything. Searching for purpose, she leaned into her faith in God. College friends invited her to the Irvine South campus of Saddleback Church, where she found a supportive community that helped her reconnect with God. She began serving, even stepping in last-minute to play keyboard for Christmas services.
Through her service at Saddleback, Low rebuilt her trust in the church and reestablished her relationship with God. She even identified a call from God to share the gospel. A friend suggested she might use her stage management training to serve the church, a combination she hadn't considered, but the perfect way to combine her call to share the gospel and her passion for production. She began interning at Saddleback Lake Forest, making use of the time to learn as much as she could in the areas of live audio, broadcast video, and stage lighting, and service programming. Her experience and newfound knowledge made her a perfect fit for the role of Lake Forest production director once her internship ended.
Now Low produces the weekend service and other large live events. As a production director, Low’s role extends beyond mere oversight, as she must shepherd the event from its inception to completion. She is the linchpin that holds the technical and creative aspects together, ensuring that every service is not just smooth but also spiritually impactful. Low collaborates with speakers, content creators, musicians, service hosts, technicians, and church leadership to plan live broadcasts, develop production schedules, coordinate technical teams, and train and supervise the stage team. During events, she directs the live broadcast, making real-time decisions, communicating with the crew, and guiding creative decisions to ensure an excellent and impactful live experience. After events, she works with worship and production leads to review the event, identify areas for improvement, and provide feedback to the crew for future broadcasts.
Low sees herself as bridging the gap between vision and execution and the technical and creative pieces. She excels at identifying gaps in information and pursuing clarity, ensuring the church can create beautiful, distraction-free worship and teaching that connects the church community to the heart of Jesus.
During her time as the production director at Saddleback Lake Forest, she has learned that minding the small details leads to a big impact. And as Saddleback transitions leadership from Rick and Kay Warren to Andy and Stacie Wood, she has gained the important lesson not to get stuck in structures and patterns that no longer serve people. She advises other leaders in production to question everything and be okay with reviewing structures, processes, and tools to ensure they are still serving the staff and congregation.
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Low sees herself as bridging the gap between vision and execution and the technical and creative pieces.
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Low is currently in the United States on an O-1B Visa, which is awarded to those who demonstrate extraordinary ability in the TV or motion picture industry. Her fellow Saddleback Staff and friends are the first to attest that her talent and skill have made extraordinary contributions to how weekend services are produced at Saddleback Church. Low has combined a love for creativity, technical production, and a call to evangelize to drive Saddleback’s live productions toward excellence. And she doesn't want to lose sight of her highest goal, which is to minister to people and share the love of Jesus. She sees herself first as a minister and second as a production director. Ministry and production are demanding and challenging, but Low understands the impact they bring to people, and this helps her move forward in her goal to impact lives for Jesus. Through her dedication and unwavering faith, Lyanne Low has transformed Saddleback Church’s production services, creating an environment where creativity and spirituality converge. Her journey from Malaysia to the heart of Saddleback is a testament to the power of faith, resilience, and the pursuit of one’s true calling.
