Planning principle
McKnight should first define and agree upon its audio, projection, livestream, lighting, accessibility, operational and reliability requirements. Equipment selection and vendor proposals should follow those requirements rather than establish them.
This principle is consistent with McKnight's 2021 worship assessment, which called for clear goals and measurable objectives before vendors were selected or physical work began. The 2021 document also identified the need for elder agreement on the project's goals and priorities.
Guiding principles
Reliable Sunday operation
Reduce setup effort, avoid single points of failure and keep reasonable backup options for worship-critical equipment.
Volunteer-friendly
Controls and workflows should be understandable to trained volunteers without requiring one indispensable technical expert.
Maintainable & economical
Reuse functioning equipment when sensible, prefer supportable standards and replacement parts, and avoid unnecessary complexity or vendor lock-in.
In-room worship first
Audio, projection and lighting must serve the congregation in the auditorium well while also supporting an appropriate online experience.
Documented systems
New work should include clear configuration, wiring, labeling, account ownership, operating procedures and as-built documentation.
Requirements before equipment
Consultants and vendors should be asked to respond to a McKnight requirements document so competing solutions can be compared against the same needs.
Current 2026 planning matrix
| Area | Current state / known issue | Need / requirement to define | Current planning direction |
|---|---|---|---|
| Projection | Sharp XG-P610X-N dual-lamp projectors; main projector operating after Sept. 2026 troubleshooting; spare still needs service. Existing screen is about 11′10″ × 8′11″ with approximately 50-ft throw. | Reliable, adequately bright Sunday image; exact resolution/aspect-ratio requirement; acceptable ambient-light performance; backup strategy; long-throw lens and mount constraints. | Short term: maintain existing units with known-good AN-P610LP lamp assemblies. Medium term: evaluate laser replacement while retaining practical backup capability. |
| Sunday audio | Mackie 2404-VLZ4 FOH console, Shure wireless, Roland/RSS digital snake and existing processing. The 2021 assessment noted that the soundboard required skilled operation and that McKnight depended on a relatively small number of experienced operators. | Input count, wireless count, music/vocal needs, livestream feed, ease of volunteer operation, scene/preset recall, documentation, cross-training, redundancy and reuse of existing speakers/amplifiers. | Evaluate a digital console primarily as an operational improvement: documented Sunday scenes/presets could reduce setup effort, make settings repeatable, simplify cross-training and allow more volunteers to operate the system consistently. The selected system should simplify normal Sunday operation rather than add unnecessary complexity. |
| Livestream | Sony FDR-AX53, Mevo Plus, YoloBox Pro and other documented production equipment. Some hidden cable routing and exact source assignments still need verification. | Number of camera angles, 1080p vs. 4K, PTZ vs. fixed cameras, operator count, graphics, recording/archive, livestream audio mix and desired automation. | Define the desired Sunday workflow before deciding whether additional PTZ cameras, switchers or control systems are needed. |
| Lighting | Crestron-based house-light control and dedicated stage-lighting upgrades completed in the 2022 era; current hardware is documented on the lighting page. | Confirm current reliability, scene needs, remaining dark areas, livestream face-light quality and whether additional changes are actually necessary. | Maintain/document current system unless a specific operational or worship need justifies additional work. |
| Assistive listening | Current capability should be inventoried and documented. | Define accessibility needs, desired user experience, device count, personal-device support and maintenance responsibilities. | Assess existing capability before purchasing a new system. |
| AV network / control | McKnight already operates a substantial UniFi network; AV equipment increasingly depends on IP connectivity. | Determine VLAN/network needs, control access, fixed addressing, remote support, PoE requirements and what should remain isolated from general church traffic. | Prefer integration with the church's existing managed network where appropriate rather than adding a separate unmanaged environment. |
Digital audio console — operational goals
A future move to a digital mixing console should be evaluated not only for sound quality, but also for ease of use, repeatability, documentation and volunteer cross-training.
A well-configured digital console can store scenes or presets for normal Sunday worship, microphones, instruments, livestream feeds and special events. This can reduce Sunday setup time, make system settings easier to document and reproduce, and help multiple trained volunteers operate the system consistently rather than relying on one or two highly experienced individuals.
This does not mean that any digital console will automatically be easier to use. Console selection, initial configuration, naming, scene design, permissions, training and documentation will determine whether the system actually simplifies Sunday operation.
Questions to answer before the next major proposal
Audio
- How many microphone and instrument inputs are actually used?
- How many wireless systems are required simultaneously?
- Should FOH and livestream have separate mixes?
- Can a normal Sunday service start from a documented scene/preset?
- Can multiple volunteers be cross-trained to operate the system consistently?
- How should scenes, channel names, routing and recovery procedures be documented?
- What existing speakers, amplifiers, snake and processing should remain?
Projection
- Is the existing screen size/aspect ratio still appropriate?
- What brightness is required with normal auditorium lighting?
- Is 1080p sufficient, or is 4K materially useful?
- Should a future projector be laser-based?
- What backup plan is required if the primary projector fails?
Livestream
- How many camera angles improve worship rather than add complexity?
- Can one volunteer operate the normal stream?
- Are PTZ cameras needed?
- What graphics, captions and recording functions are required?
- What is the desired online experience and how should success be measured?
Possible projection upgrade paths
Path A — Maintain current system
Continue using the Sharp projectors, purchase quality AN-P610LP lamp assemblies, repair/test the spare and defer major replacement while the system remains dependable.
Path B — Replace primary only
Install a modern laser installation projector that works with the existing throw and screen, while retaining a repaired Sharp as an emergency backup.
Path C — Redesign projection
Consider projector, lens, screen, mounting, aspect ratio and control as one project if ministry requirements justify a larger change.
Recommended planning process
Historical planning context
2021 Assessment of Sunday Worship
The November 2021 assessment documented both physical and online worship concerns. Pain points included outdated/dim lighting, inadequate stage lighting for video, extensive Sunday setup and reliance on a small number of key technical people. It also stated that clear, measurable goals should be agreed before vendors were selected.
The document includes earlier vendor proposals and concepts for audio, livestream cameras, projection/screen, stage lighting and house lighting. It is a historical planning reference; some systems have changed since 2021.
Open 2021 assessment (PDF)2026 Cignal Systems reference proposal
The July 24, 2026 Cignal proposal describes a possible auditorium modernization using a Panasonic PT-MZ11KLWU laser projector and ET-EMT800 lens, Allen & Heath SQ-6 console, Shure SLXD wireless microphones, PTZOptics camera, Listen Technologies assistive listening and Ubiquiti network components.
Proposal total: $42,346.43. McKnight had not first produced a current formal AV requirements document for this proposal, so it should be treated as a useful reference design and pricing benchmark rather than an approved system specification.
Open 2026 Cignal proposal (PDF)Next planning work
The next useful step is not another equipment quote. It is to turn this page into an agreed McKnight AV Requirements document: identify must-have, should-have and optional requirements; assign priorities; agree on a realistic budget range; then ask consultants/vendors to respond to the same requirements.
This page is intended to evolve as the elders, ministers, worship leaders and AV volunteers refine McKnight's priorities.
October 7, 2026 — AV Worship Needs
Latest discussion: consider an Allen & Heath SQ-6 digital mixer, with the SQ-5 as a lower-cost alternative, emphasizing volunteer-friendly scenes and operation.
Verify current inputs, outputs, wiring and livestream mixes before selecting equipment. Explore ambient/congregational microphones separately and plan for volunteer training.
Planning discussion only. Options and costs are preliminary; no purchase or installation has been approved.
Open October 7 discussion (PDF)