How to Use LED for Your Church Lighting

Lighting candles in church are no longer the best way to illuminate. Yet you can still get the same mood with modern lights.

Church lighting can go a long way in creating the ambiance you want. Whether it's reverence or zeal or something else entirely.

Read on to learn how to use lighting to enhance your worship services. 

Consider Your Church Lighting Needs

There are so many options that choosing the right lighting can feel overwhelming. First, start by listing your needs.

For example, the size of your church and the area you need lit (typically this is a stage or platform). 

You also need to think about the effect or mood you want to create with the use of lights. Finally, think about it from the perspective of the person on the stage.

Keep in mind that stage lights can be disorienting when they are too strong. Consider both the congregation and the people standing under the lights. 

Also, think about how and when you will shoot video. Most churches are using video these days. Either to display a presentation or song lyrics or to create a live stream or recording of the service.

Of course, members of the congregation must see the screens clearly. But that doesn't mean you have to downplay your lighting design. 

LED video panels are the perfect way to allow crisp bright video capture with bright ambient lighting. 

Pick LED Church Lights

Ask any lighting expert and they will tell you that the best choice for church lighting is LEDs. These days, LEDs are the gold standard. They are timeless and cost-efficient too. 

Previously, lighting systems were not only expensive but also were bulky. They easily became obsolete as new trends arrived. 

Here are the main reasons why LED lights are the best option for your church.

Energy Efficient

LED lights use up to 80% less power than incandescent bulbs. Best of all, each LED bulb costs just pennies to use. 

Let's think about this in terms of your church lighting. A standard PAR 64 light which is common for stages might use a 1000-watt incandescent lamp. On the flip side, the same lamp with an LED bulb will only use 20-75 watts.

You will drastically reduce your church's monthly energy bill when you switch to LEDs.

Last Longer

LED bulbs last incredibly long. You can expect to get up to 100,000 hours of usage from each bulb. Compare that to 2000 hours per incandescent bulb or 10,000 for fluorescents.

In terms of lifespan, LEDs give you 11 years of non-stop use. So if you are using your church lights for a few hours a couple of times a week, you may never need to change a bulb during your lifetime.

Less Heat

If you've ever tried to change a lightbulb right after turning the light off you know how hot bulbs can get.

Other types of bulbs like incandescent ones, lose most of their energy as heat. That means that if your pastor or band is on stage under a bunch of these lights, they will soon be sweating.

On the other hand, LEDs make very little heat. Not only will your choir and band thank you, but you will also have to spend less on air conditioning.  

LED lighting systems will stand the test of time. They are a fantastic option for your church lighting system. Now, it's time to think about the categories of lights you will need. 

Categories of Light 

There are 5 main categories to create your church lighting design. These are

• Spotlights
• Floodlights
• Beam lights
• keylights
• wash lights

Let's look at each in turn. 

Spotlights 

Spotlights are also called spots or hard-edged lights. These lights have a crisp edge. These lights are the easiest to learn how to use and control.

There are various types of spotlights. The most common are followspot, moving head spot, and ellipsoidal.

Floodlights

Floodlights, also known as soft-edged lights produce a smooth area of light that can cover a large portion.

They provide a nice wash light that is flattering to look at. They can also be used as motion-activated lights for the outside of your building. 

However, it takes work so that these lights don't illuminate curtains or other areas that you don't want to be lit up. Still, these are great lights for using to cover a stage.

Common soft-edged lights include scoops, blinders, cyc lights, and strip lights. 

Beam Lights

Beam lights are less common than the other two types of lights described so far. These give you a super tight beam of light.

If you are putting on a production of the Nativity, the beam light would be useful when depicting the new star, for example.

Keylights

Of course, the most important job your LED church lights have is to make sure that the entire congregation can see the pastor, preacher, or worship team.

Some churches also require good lighting for live video streaming.  Key lights provide warm white light that is flattering and natural on all skin tones. 

Wash Lighting

Colored wash lighting allows you to create a stunning background for your Sunday services. 

You can easily change the LED colors and adjust the intensity of each hue. This allows you to have a huge range of color options. 

You can change these background lights for each song or sermon if you like. 

Update Your Church Lighting Design

Thanks for reading! We hope this guide on church lighting has given you the info you need to move forward with a decision.

At Birddog Lighting, we are confident we have the lowest prices on lighting. That's why we off a low price guarantee.

You can shop with confidence from us!