TULSA, OK — The term “mega church” is particularly apt for the 12,000-member Church on the Move, based here. At services, the church’s message is delivered on a scale that rivals major rock concerts, with full-scale lighting and video in a sanctuary that’s bigger than many top music venues. The rock concert analogy is appropriate in more ways than one – the church’s staff rents rather than purchases most of their lighting, giving them access to the latest lighting gear from Martin Professional.
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“We rent 90 percent of our lighting, and it gives us the freedom to change frequently and try new ideas and technologies. We don’t want to be left behind when the industry makes a major shift, ” said Andrew Stone, Church on the Move’s production manager and audio director. Renting also cuts down on the need to retain additional maintenance staff – the church can handle all its lighting needs with two technicians. “The rental model also lets us use high-quality gear without spending a ton of money. We can rent more equipment as needed for bigger events.”
Church On the Move has deployed a variety of Martin fixtures including MAC III Profile lighting, MAC Viper Profiles, MAC 700 Wash fixtures and TW1 tungsten wash lights. Stone and crew will also buy equipment when it makes economic sense, and recently purchased a number of Martin VC-Dot 1 fixtures, individually controllable LED dots that are used to create customized video displays.
The VC-Dot 1 provides new ways to integrate video technology into stage designs, ceilings and other structures. Church On the Move lighting designer Daniel Connell states, “We can use the VC-Dot 1 as a design element, as a backdrop or split it up for use in several auditoriums. It’s amazingly versatile and enables us to easily add dramatic visual impact to a space.”
Connell adds that he doesn’t want “a lot of flash” but the ability for the lighting to set a mood or tone on stage and throughout the sanctuary. “We don’t have a backdrop or a physical stage set so the lighting is our set,” he said. “Other house of worship lighting designers don’t do it this way, but we feel it’s an interesting and powerful way to do it.”
Connell, who credited Martin fixtures for their color range, saturation and handling the full light spectrum well, also noted that reliability is paramount, especially with rented gear. “I don’t want rental fixtures dying in the middle of a service,” he said. “After a year of use you can start to have problems, but I’ve never experienced that with Martin.”
