Church Tech Made Simple: How We Transformed This Worship Space Without Breaking the Budget
Simplifying Church Tech: Our Recent Integration Project at Chinese Evangelical Church in San Diego
By Luke Jackson
Recently, our Church Front team had the opportunity to work with Chinese Evangelical Church in San Diego on a focused tech upgrade project. I wanted to share this installation with you because it perfectly demonstrates how thoughtful, incremental improvements can make a significant difference for volunteer-led tech teams.
The Challenge
Chinese Evangelical Church in San Diego approached us with a specific set of challenges they wanted to address:
- Their tech booth was cluttered with laptops serving multiple functions
- Their lighting system had numerous burnt-out fixtures and non-functional units
- They needed solutions that would work for four different congregations using the same space
- Everything needed to be volunteer-friendly with minimal training required
What made this project particularly interesting was their budget approach – rather than tackling everything at once, they’re methodically upgrading systems in phases over several years. This first phase focused specifically on workstation organization and lighting.
Cleaning Up the Tech Booth
Before our arrival, the church was running their entire visual and streaming operation off two laptops sitting directly on the tech booth. While functional, this setup created unnecessary clutter and posed risks for accidental disconnections – something I’ve seen happen countless times in volunteer environments.
Our solution was straightforward but effective: we deployed KVMs (Keyboard, Video, Mouse switches) to create dedicated control stations while moving the actual computers to a rack below the booth. This accomplished several key improvements:
- Created more usable space on the tech booth surface
- Protected cable connections from accidental bumps or disconnects
- Allowed comfortable seating for three tech volunteers
- Provided dedicated spaces for lighting/slides, audio, and broadcast
The Rack System
Since the church didn’t have a dedicated rack room, we needed to be creative with space. We opted for a 12U Middle Atlantic rack on casters that fits neatly under the tech booth. This compact solution houses:
- A power distribution unit (keeping everything on one protected power source)
- Shure SLX dual wireless receiver (with room for future expansion)
- Two KVMs for controlling the workstations
- A new Sonnet Rack Mac Mini Plus chassis (housing two M4 Mac Minis with room for a third)
- DMX distribution and wall panel control units
I’m particularly excited about the new Sonnet Rack Mac Mini Plus for the M4 Macs. Unlike the previous model which held two Mac Minis in 1U of rack space, this new 2U model accommodates three computers – perfect for most small to mid-sized churches that typically need stations for lighting/slides, broadcast, and potentially front-of-house audio.
Making Lighting Accessible for Everyone
The most transformative part of this project was simplifying their lighting control system. With four different congregations using the space (in multiple languages), they needed something that didn’t require extensive training or knowledge of lighting software.
Our solution centered around the Pro Church Lights Wall Panel Pro, which allows volunteers to control lighting with simple button presses. This wall-mounted panel runs on a single PoE Cat5 cable and provides:
- Simple numbered presets for different lighting scenes
- A blackout button for quick shutdown
- The ability to switch control between the wall panel and Light Key software
This means a volunteer who’s never touched lighting software can walk in, press one button, and have appropriate lighting for their service – while still giving trained tech volunteers the flexibility to make real-time adjustments through Light Key when needed.
The Lighting Upgrade
For the lighting fixtures themselves, we deployed Pro Wash Max units to provide front wash and back wash for the stage area. This was perhaps the most challenging aspect of the installation because the space is highly asymmetrical – something many of you probably relate to if you’re working in older or repurposed buildings.
We mounted fixtures to existing Unistrut near the baptismal area and added additional Unistrut (painted brown to blend with the ceiling) for the main stage wash. The placement required careful consideration to minimize shadows and provide even coverage despite the room’s architectural limitations.
Integrating Phillips Hue
One unique aspect of this project was integrating the church’s existing Phillips Hue bulbs into the Light Key control system. The church had already installed Hue bulbs in their house pendants and recessed cans – with regular white bulbs for most of the fixture and one color-capable bulb in each pendant.
By connecting Light Key to their Phillips Hue Bridge, we created a unified control interface where volunteers can manage both their stage lighting and house lighting from one place. This allows them to:
- Control intensity for all house lighting
- Create color effects with the colored bulbs in each pendant
- Use the recessed cans as mood setters for different environments
- Save complete lighting scenes as presets
The integration eliminated the need to switch between multiple apps or control systems, significantly simplifying the volunteer experience.
Lessons for Your Church
What I love about this project is how it demonstrates principles that apply to churches of all sizes:
Phase your upgrades: You don’t need to overhaul everything at once. Targeted improvements to pain points can make a significant difference.
Prioritize volunteer experience: Solutions like wall panels with presets can make tech accessible to everyone, not just your trained specialists.
Work with what you have: We integrated their existing Phillips Hue investment rather than replacing it, and worked within the constraints of their asymmetrical space.
Centralize control: Bringing multiple systems (in this case, stage lighting and house lighting) under one interface reduces complexity.
Plan for expansion: Everything we installed accommodates future growth – from extra rack space for wireless to the additional Mac Mini slot.
Final Thoughts
Sometimes the most impactful tech upgrades aren’t about installing the newest or most advanced equipment – they’re about creating systems that empower your volunteers and remove barriers to effective ministry.
I’m grateful to Jason, Daniel, and the entire team at Chinese Evangelical Church of San Diego for trusting us with this project. If you’re interested in exploring similar solutions for your church, whether it’s a focused lighting upgrade or a comprehensive AVL overhaul, we’d love to help. Visit churchfront.com to schedule a call with our team and discuss your church’s unique needs.
What tech challenges is your church currently facing? I’d love to hear about them in the comments!
