The 5 Best Stage Lighting for Church

If you are in a hurry and just want to find out what the best stage lighting for Church is then I’d recommend the American DJ Vizi CMY 300W Moving Head as the best one.

Lighting is one of the essential parts of the technology mix in the church. A versatile lighting rig can enhance the worship experience. It can also ensure that the whole congregation can see what’s happening on stage.

Over the years, lighting technology has already advanced. The development of LED technology is one of the significant innovations. The benefits include low power consumption, reduced excess heat, and long life. LED technology allows more fixtures without the risk of overloading your power supply. It could also remove the need for lamp replacements.

Whether you agree or not, the lighting setup during the worship service makes a big difference. Even before the worship team takes the platform, the lighting setup already makes an impact. Having the best stage lighting showcases the overall ambiance and worshiper experience.

Here are the Best Stage Lightings for Church we’ll be reviewing:

• American DJ Vizi CMY 300W Moving Head
• Elation ZCL 360i 90W RGBW LED Moving Head Beam/Wash Light
• Chauvet Maverick MK3 Wash LED Moving-Head Fixture
• LED Stage Lights, OPPSK 96W 24LEDs Amber & RGB Wash Light Bar
• Tomshine Moving Head Lights 80W Stage Lights

Benefits of Modern Church Stage Lighting

Many small or traditional churches are hesitant to invest in a modern church stage light. It’s understandable especially if they don’t know the benefits of having one. All they need to see is the difference between a good lighting system in a worship service. Stage light is a powerful tool needed to light up the stage. A good lighting system could enhance the attention span of audience members. It could also add emotion and detail to a stage in a very cost-effective manner. Here are other benefits that you may want to consider.

1. Timeless –  Other things come and go, but these LED stage lights stay with the trend. Using LED lights could get you a lot better quality stage lights for your money. You don’t need to keep on upgrading your church stage lighting for a long time.
2. Affordable – One great thing about installing modern church stage lighting is that they take up less space. Cool running LED lights could save you money as they can give you as much as 85% savings on reduced electricity costs. A modest-sized church could easily upgrade for under $1,000.
3. Versatile – Modern LED lights are very versatile. It can automatically provide impressive lighting displays using sound-activated lighting. You can also opt to customize your LED lighting shows just by using easy-to-use app-based console controls.

Categories of Stage Lights

There are five main kinds of lights and each kind of stage lighting has a different use. Let’s run through each kind of stage lighting to give you some good possible options within each category.

Flood Lights

Floodlights are artificial lights that are broad-brimmed and high-intensity. They are diffused over a large given area to give a comparatively uniform illumination. Floodlight provides your church stage with a kind, loving atmosphere of warmth. They are also considered the simplest kind of stage lights of all theatre luminaires.

Floodlight and wash light are very similar. They both perform the same function which is to fill the stage with uniform lighting and color all over.

Generally, floodlights are positioned downstage to the performers on the floor. They consist of little more than a lamp and a reflector housed in a box. They can be panned from side to side and tilted up and down. However, the output characteristics of the floodlight are determined solely by the reflector and lamp type because they have no lenses.

Spot Lights

Spotlights are lamps that focus a narrow, intense beam of light directly on a place or person, especially a performer on stage. They play a crucial role in achieving the overall modern stage lighting experience for your worshipers. Relative to the other kinds of stage lights, spotlights do not cost a lot.

Spotlights bring attention to where you would like your worshippers’ main focus to be during stage performances. They make a point specifically with whatever/whoever is being highlighted. They are used to provide excellent definition and clarity to your stage performances.

Cyc Lights

Cyclorama or Cyc lights are used to illuminate scenery like asymmetric floodlights. These kinds of stage lights are used to provide a very broad wash of light. Cyc lights are also used to light the sides and the rear of the stage. You can make use of good quality cyc lights either from the ground (ground cycs) or from fly pipes (sky cycs). And if your budget permits, you can use both for a really good uniformity of light.

Cyc lights have a “J” shaped reflector that could throw a sheet of light and color. These lights throw an even sheet of light up and down whether they are placed on the floor or hung as a backdrop. The short throw is found at the bottom of the “J” and the top part is for the longer throw.

Wash Lights

Wash lights are commonly known as Fill Lights. This is because they provide a general “fill” of light and color evenly across the stage. Wash light is also known as color washing because it is used to change the color of the stage. Wash lights are very important in a church stage lighting setup and can help with the live streaming church. They create an atmosphere with the glow of color providing your worshipers with a pleasant and calming experience.

Wash lights need to be mounted as high as possible and positioned well around your church stage. It is best if they are positioned at least 15 feet apart from one another. This is so you can count how many you’ll need for your church stage lighting setup. It is also important to purchase high-quality LED wash lights that have a very wide angle.

Beam Lights

Beam lights come in a variety of styles similar to spotlights. They are lamps that project a narrow, intense beam of light directly onto a place or person, especially a performer on stage. The only difference between the two is that the beam of a spotlight is a bit broader than that of a beam light.

Beam lights create a straight shaft of light, like the headlights on your car. It brings attention to whatever/whoever is being highlighted at the stage.

Moving LED Lights

Using the moving LED lights is the final creative and the most enjoyable part of your church stage lighting setup. You can create amazing laser displays that will move conforming to the sound that they are receiving. They are controlled automatically too! You can also use app-controlled sequences that you can pre-program to harmonize your church performances. This way, you can be more creative when you can create your laser shows.

Role of Stage Lighting in a Church

Every church is not the same. There are things you need to consider if you want to install or upgrade lights on the stage. The lighting fixture can help the congregation stay tuned in to what’s happening onstage. They could complement the stage or architecture of your space, enhancing beauty, promoting reverence, and providing comfort. Here are some of the purposes of a good lighting system.

Visibility

One of the primary purposes of stage lighting is for people to see what’s going on stage. Good quality church lighting could make the stage, people, and any set design bright enough to be easily visible. Stage lighting ensures that everyone on stage—the pastor, the preacher, the worship team—can be seen by everyone in the congregation.

Focus Attention

A perfect church stage lighting captures the full attention of the congregation. Most churches use colored wash lighting to create a vibrant background to worship and preaching. The brightness levels and color of the lighting hit the areas where the action is taking place.

Pure Aesthetics

One vital factor of good church lighting is to add depth and visual interest. If you want your key subjects to “pop” out from the background, outline them with a somewhat brighter amount of light. You could also add visual interest by adding a color wash to your stage. Color could wash your back wall, wash the bulk of the band, and illuminate the architectural features of your stage. Gobo projections can add texture to the stage by projecting patterns onto objects or the stage floor.

American DJ Vizi CMY 300W Moving Head

The Vizi CMY300 is ADJ’s next generation LED Hybrid moving head. It uses a specially designed 300W LED engine that offers massive output for most large venues and event productions. It is a great hybrid utility fixture as it acts as a beam, spot, and wash all-in-one with a massive zoom range from 8 to 46-degrees. This allows for designers to get maximum effects from one fixture without having to crowd truss in an installation with multiple fixtures. It also allows for fewer fixtures to be packed in a truck for production events.

What’s more, it comes in a smaller footprint than most other movers in its class. Plus, the Vizi 300 CMY offers a CMY color mixing so designers can custom make colors to create a one-of-a-kind light show. The fixture has a built-in antenna with ADJ’s WiFLY EXR wireless DMX that transmits a signal up to 2500 feet.

The Vizi CMY300 offers motorized focus, motorized zoom, two rotating prisms (one 6-facet linear & one 3-facet circular), 2 GOBO wheels (1 wheel fixed metal and one wheel rotating/replaceable GOBOs). There is a full-color function display on the front panel, with the rear panel offering powerCON In/Out and 3-pin and 5-pin DMX connections. Under the hood, the Vizi CMY300 offers a modular design, which makes servicing and GOBO replacement easier than ever before.

Pros:

• It offers motorized focus, motorized zoom, two rotating prisms, and 2 GOBO wheels
• There is a full-color function display on the front panel
• The rear panel offers powerCON In/Out and 3-pin and 5-pin DMX connections
• It offers a modular design under the hood
• It has a built-in antenna with ADJ’s WiFLY EXR wireless DMX

Cons:

• Few mounting options

Elation ZCL 360i 90W RGBW LED Moving Head Beam/Wash Light

The ZCL 360i is a powerful single-beam moving-head fixture with zoom featuring a single 90W RGBW 4-in-1 LED. The new advanced collimator optic lens produces a sharp 4° color-changing beam. It features 4° to 44° motorized zoom, fast and precise16-bit continuous full 360° pan, and tilt rotation. Additional features include electronic strobe, dimmer, and selectable dimming curve effects, DMX, RDM (Remote Device Management), KlingNET, and Art-NET support.

The Elation ZCL 360i has 5pin XLR, RJ45 etherCON, and powerCON in/out connections. It has 7 button control full color 180° reversible menu display and multiple-unit power linking. Also, it is a flicker-free operation for TV and film. It also offers a multi-voltage universal auto-switching power supply (100-240v).

Pros:

• Motorized zoom with beam adjustability from 4–44°
• 90W RGBW LED source
• Advanced collimator optic lens
• Fast, precise 16-bit continuous 360° pan and tilt
• Flicker-free operation

Cons:

• The unit tends to retain moisture

Chauvet Maverick MK3 Wash LED Moving-Head Fixture

This moving-head wash light raises the bar on output, color consistency, and pixel effects. Powered by 27 powerful 40W OSRAM RGBW LEDs, the Maverick MK3 has the muscle to handle any application, including long throw situations, with ease. Pixel mapping effects, built-in color macros, and gobos, along with a CTO color mixing option make this fixture the complete wash light package. Control options including DMX, sACN, Art-Net, Kling-Net, or W DMX round out this fixture, which can also receive Art-Net or sACN in, and send DMX out, simplifying cable runs.

The Maverick MK3 Wash boasts a zoom feature, with its beam adjustable from 7–45°. You’ll enjoy smooth, precise movement across the fixture’s range of pan, tilt, and zoom. Thanks to its ultra-quiet operation, the Maverick MK3 Wash is ideal for stage and theater use, or any setting that demands silence.

The Maverick MK3 Wash’s built-in colors allow for quick design possibilities, while the built-in virtual gobo wheel with background colors delivers eye-catching atmospheric effects. 16-bit dimming of master dimmer and individual colors means silky-smooth control of fades.

Pros:

• Moving-head fixture with precise pan, tilt, and zoom
• Powered by 24 intense 40W RGBW LEDs
• Zoom feature; 7–45° beam angle
• DMX, W-DMX, S ACN, Art-Net, and Kling-Net control
• 16-bit dimming

Cons:

• It is a bit expensive

LED Stage Lights, OPPSK 96W 24LEDs Amber & RGB Wash Light Bar

The OPPSK LED stage light is a versatile LED linear fixture. It includes a  4 in 1 Amber and RGB LED with a bright chromatic 40-degree beam angle. This LED stage lighting features various color combinations that produce wide washes with smooth color mixing. The LED lighting has built-in color macros that create a colorful and varied atmosphere.

The OPPSK LED light is intelligently designed, great for uplighting a venue party supply. This LED lighting design is perfect for washing stages, walls, and dance floors.

Pros:

• 5 DMX Channel Modes
• This LED lighting system comes with mounting brackets
• 4-Button LED DMX-512 menu on the back for customization
• Amber+RGB color mixing for unlimited color palette
• 40-inch long professional grade indoor linear bar

Cons:

• The user manual is hard to understand
• It does not work well with DMX

Tomshine Moving Head Lights 80W Stage Lights

The Tomshine moving headlights provide a professional stage lighting solution. The stage lighting effects are super bright with an 80W LED moving head spot designed for large events. This moving head stage lighting system is sound activated. It is supported by DMX 512 remote control, master-slave control, and auto running mode.

The lighting trends bring fantastic visual effects to worship services. They are also made of high-quality ABS plastic.

Pros:

• Long operating life and low heat dissipation
• They are made of high-quality ABS plastic
• Adopt professional 9 / 11 channels,
• Support DMX512 control, sound control, master-slave control, and auto running mode.
• With 1 year warranty and provide solutions within 24 hours If you have any problem

Cons:

• It does not retain positioning with DMX
• The lighting console is not stable

Conclusion

Searching for the best stage lighting for your church can be as simple or as complicated as you want it to be. What is essential is to make your church stage performances a ‘must-see event’. You need to make an impact on people of just how fun and inspiring it is to visit your church. Diving into the current lighting trends creates the best, most original, and memorable live performances at church.

To ensure that you get the most of your church stage lighting budget, I recommend the American DJ Vizi CMY 300W Moving Head. It is a higher-powered, lighter-weight, and longer-lasting halogen FS-1000 Follow Spot Fixtures. This lighting fixture is capable of producing 1000 watt or greater beams with only 575 watts of power.  In line with the new Iris design, it is capable of everything a traditional Spot Light would feature. It could save you money, produces less heat, and uses less power. This economical, professional quality followspot is a clear winner.