How Gen Z is Changing Churches
What Gen Z Churches Are Doing Right: A Production Analysis of Today’s “Cool Churches”
The landscape of church production is rapidly evolving, and much of that change is being driven by Gen Z congregations and their approach to worship experiences. After analyzing the production styles of three influential churches—Mosaic LA, Jesus Image Orlando, and Upper Room Dallas—some fascinating trends emerge that challenge traditional church production wisdom.
The Great Lighting Debate: Dark vs. Bright
Perhaps the most striking difference between traditional and Gen Z church production is the approach to lighting. While many churches have embraced the “concert lighting” aesthetic with dramatic spotlights and heavy use of color, these newer congregations are taking a completely different approach.
Mosaic LA represents one extreme with their artistic choice to use heavy color lighting and minimal key lighting during worship. Their Gen Z aesthetic embraces an overexposed, colorful look that might seem “like garbage” to traditional videographers but creates an intentional artistic statement. The trade-off? It’s nearly impossible to pull focus during worship, and the livestream suffers from poor facial visibility.
In contrast, Jesus Image Orlando and Upper Room Dallas have opted for bright, well-lit environments where faces are clearly visible both in person and online. This “lots of light in the room” philosophy ensures that congregation shots are usable and that the energy of the room translates to the livestream audience.
The Return of Natural Light
One of the most surprising trends is the embrace of natural light through large windows. Upper Room Dallas features massive windows that create beautiful architectural elements, even though they present significant challenges for camera operators who must constantly adjust exposure throughout the service.
This willingness to accept technical challenges in favor of aesthetic and experiential benefits represents a fundamental shift in priorities—atmosphere over technical perfection.
Audio: Where Investment Really Matters
While lighting approaches vary wildly, all three churches share a commitment to exceptional audio. Jesus Image Orlando’s mix quality rivals Bethel’s renowned sound, while Upper Room Dallas appears to have invested heavily in an immersive sound system with speakers positioned around the entire perimeter of their space.
The immersive audio trend is particularly interesting. By using a “dead room” with virtual reverbs distributed through surround speakers, churches can maintain ultimate mixing control while creating the impression of a much larger, more reverberant space. The main vocals come from the front, while the spatial elements surround the congregation, creating an enveloping worship experience.
Architectural Choices That Support Ministry
Upper Room Dallas showcases how architectural design can support both worship and practical ministry needs. Their space features:
- Garage doors that can open the room to outdoor spaces
- Flexible seating that can be reconfigured for different events
- A unique room shape that creates intimacy despite its size
- LED strip lighting around the perimeter that can change color and mood
The Minimalist Screen Approach
Contrary to the trend toward massive LED walls, Upper Room Dallas keeps their large LED screen mostly black, using it sparingly for simple white text on black backgrounds or black text on white. This minimalist approach lets the worship and the space itself take center stage rather than competing with flashy graphics.
Gen Z and the New Choir Movement
Perhaps most intriguingly, Gen Z churches are bringing back choirs—but not the traditional multi-part harmony choirs of previous generations. These new choirs typically sing in unisons or simple two-part harmonies, creating a fuller sound without the complexity that can overwhelm contemporary worship styles.
The Livestream Dilemma
Each church represents a different philosophy about livestream priority:
- Mosaic clearly prioritizes the in-room experience over online viewers
- Jesus Image balances both experiences effectively
- Upper Room creates cinematic online content while maintaining room energy
This raises important questions about resource allocation and ministry philosophy. Should churches optimize for their physical congregation or their potentially much larger online audience?
Key Takeaways for Church Production Teams
- Embrace your philosophy: Whether you choose dark artistic lighting or bright room lighting, commit to your choice and execute it well.
- Invest in audio: Great sound is non-negotiable and often more impactful than perfect lighting.
- Natural light can work: Don’t automatically dismiss spaces with windows—they can create beautiful, energetic environments.
- Consider immersive audio: The technology is becoming more accessible and can dramatically enhance the worship experience.
- Simplicity in graphics: Sometimes less is more when it comes to screen content.
- Room design matters: Think about how your space can flex for different ministry needs.
The “cool churches” aren’t just following trends—they’re making intentional choices about how production serves their ministry philosophy. Whether you prefer Mosaic’s artistic approach, Jesus Image’s balanced execution, or Upper Room’s architectural innovation, the key is aligning your production choices with your church’s unique calling and community.
What production trends are you seeing in your area? How is your church balancing in-room and online experiences? The conversation continues as church production evolves to serve both physical and digital congregations.
