Commercial Integrator August 2023 - 19

of Lee Communication Inc., to share his
views of the space. Lee has served houses
of worship for decades, and his projects'
geographical breadth attests to his
expertise. Right now, Lee Communication
Inc.'s work spans from Nashville, Tenn.; to
Miami; to Ecuador; to Liberia; to Vietnam.
CI also sought out Brandon Creel, CR-T,
CEE, CTS-D, partner at leading consultancy
Hewshott. His organization does quite
a bit of worship-related work. And, in fact,
Creel earned an invitation to speak at a
church conference last November. Plus, CI
surveyed a representative sample of the
integration community to get a wider view
of this market segment. Select survey data
is interspersed throughout this article.
Houses of Worship Post-COVID-19
Lots of journalists and societal observers
seem to be wringing their hands about
people having a " crisis of faith " and
churches closing as a result. According to
Lee, those worries don't match the reality
on the ground. " I don't think as many are
closing as it might seem, " he says. Lee
draws an analogy to COVID-19, explaining
that, much as the virus had a worse effect
on people with preexisting conditions, the
pandemic had the same amplified effect
on churches suffering from underlying issues.
" Honestly, in some cases, it just gave
those particular churches an opportunity
to have a reason to close, " he says candidly.
Lee adds that lots of churches seized
on that downtime to make key upgrades.
" We stayed 150% busy through the whole
crisis, " he shares.
And those very upgrades are a central
part of what's drawing congregants back
to in-person worship. Creel describes
churches purchasing refreshed audio,
video and lighting as " ...investing in their
clientele to bring them back. " According
to Lee, " People are tired of staying in their
pajamas and watching church. They want
to be around people again. " However, he
notes, in our media-saturated society, it's
incumbent on church leadership to create
an experience that's worth leaving home
for - one that will bring people back to
the sanctuary. And even with some churches
shutting their doors for lack of congregants
or insufficient financial support, it's
commercialintegrator.com
Do you perform work
in houses of worship?
Who is your primary point of
contact for worship clients?
6.9%
Do you perform work in houses of
worship?
No, and we don't
expect to pursue
work in the
worship market
anytime soon
3.4%
No, but we
hope to break
into the worship
market over the
next 12 months
Worship leader/
spiritual leader
Music/AV
minister
27.6%
Yes, but these
clients come
along only
intermittently
62.1%
Yes, this is a
regular part of
our business
In-house
technology
manager
Other
still true that every town and village has
numerous worship centers from which to
choose. " The church market is competing
against one another to offer something
to their congregation, " Creel observes.
Integration businesses can provide those
differentiators.
Lee remarks on competition among
24.1%
13.8%
Sound-reinforcement system type that best
suits houses of worship?
churches, saying the vertical has a " keeping
up with the Joneses " tendency. Leaders
tend to think, " If the church down the street
has a DVLED videowall, why don't we have
one? " If your business plays in this space,
this presents a clear, ripe opportunity.
Being a Trusted Partner
Although integrators and consultants are,
of course, in business to earn a living,
successful ones don't merely see job
prospects when they look at the worship
market; more importantly, they see the
chance to meaningfully help people. " The
church market is not a one-size-fits-all, "
Creel declares. " Don't go in there and
think if you've done one church, you can
do them all. That's totally not true. " Lee
agrees, discussing how he courts prospective
clients. " I'll study that church, " he
explains. " I'll watch their YouTube videos.
Committee/
board of
trustees
Characterize worship business over last
12 months.
58.6%
31%
24.1%
Preferred display format among
house-of-worship clients?
These days, churches have embraced theatrical-style
production techniques for in-person audiences and
remote congregants who watch via the livestream.
AUGUST 2023 Commercial Integrator 19
COURTESY MANKIN MEDIA/TIM CORDER.
http://www.commercialintegrator.com
Commercial Integrator August 2023

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