Gateway Church: Service Through Sustainability
“Since we’ve migrated to rechargeable batteries, the guys have seen a noticeable improvement when it comes to managing them, keeping them organized, the quality control, how they work, how they respond. So, overall, we are incredibly happy with the upgrade.”
- Brandon Conn, Senior Audio Engineer, Gateway Church.
“Gateway Church’s case displays the benefits of researching technology and how utilizing it to the fullest extent provides the highest level of stewardship for the team, their time, and the financial investment.”
- Michael Moore, Senior Market Development Specialist, Shure Incorporated
Customer Profile
Gateway Church is a Bible-based, evangelistic, Spirit-empowered church founded in 2000 by Pastor Robert Morris. The church is comprised of 10 different locations in Texas and Wyoming, with more than 100,000 people attending each weekend.
Challenge
The spoken word is understandably critical to how Gateway Church builds and engages with its congregation and attendees. With the auditorium on the campuses seating from 400 to 4,000 people, microphones are essential for audio clarity.
The early wireless microphones used by Gateway Church relied on 9V batteries that had to be replaced almost weekly. Over time, Gateway Church upgraded to newer batteries, but the challenge of battery life remained, along with what to do with the boxes of semi-used alkaline batteries in storerooms across our campuses.
“Besides the cost of replacing batteries every week, there was uncertainty about whether there was enough charge to last the duration of a service or event. And let’s not forget the environmental impact of disposing of all those batteries,” says Brandon Conn, Senior Audio Engineer at Gateway Church.
Solution
Shure’s solution for Gateway Church was simple: rechargeable batteries as a key component of a broader Axient® Digital wireless microphone system on each campus. Conn continues: “Over the last year or two, we’ve migrated to a rechargeable model and now every campus, all the auditoriums, are on Shure’s rechargeable packs.
“It’s been a kind of night and day experience from having to keep up with batteries, ordering and budgeting for new ones on a regular basis, and inventorying them, to today’s solution where it’s so much simpler, more reliable, and environmentally responsible.”
Shure’s solution is comprised of Axient Digital mics, docking stations, charging trays and rack mounted networked chargers, and talkback buttons, which Conn describes as “a game changer when it comes to the workflow of events.”
The solution also features a Shure Wireless Workbench®, allowing Gateway Church Live Production team members to monitor and manage the wireless system across multiple campuses remotely. Conn says: “We want to be efficient with our time and gear. We want it to dependable. In the past, we couldn’t go in and view the health of a battery unless we sat and tested every single one. That simply wasn’t efficient across all our campuses. Workbench has changed this, and we felt the impact almost overnight, especially on the more taxing campuses.”
Advantages
Shure’s solution for Gateway Church has made a substantial difference in terms of both cost savings and the church’s sustainability.
“We’re no longer spending around $300 a month per campus on new batteries that we know we’re going to have to dispose of fairly quickly,” says Conn. “When you multiply that across all our campuses, we’re talking a potential savings of at least $32,000 a year. That’s money we are reinvesting in other equipment. And there are no last-minute dashes to Walmart to buy batteries, just before a service or event!”
Sound quality has also improved with the shift to Axient Digital. “The sound was suddenly clearer and more transparent,” explains Conn. “The overall quality felt like several bars above what we’d had before, from low level to high level whispers to screaming in the mic.
“After the very first campus upgrade, our tech team faced a barrage of requests from other campuses eager for the switch to digital.”
Gear List
| Model Number | Quantity | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | Eight-bay networked charger for SB910 and SB920A batteries | |
| 52 | Charging module charges 2 SB900B Rechargeable Batteries in the SBRC Rack Mount Charging Station. | |
| 10 | Two-bay networked docking charger for SB910 and SB920A batteries | |
| 84 | Dual docking recharging station charges SB900B batteries in or out of their transmitters. | |
| 17 | 8-battery charger charges 8 SB900B batteries to full capacity within 3 hours. | |
| 19 | Accommodates up to 8 Shure rechargeable bodypack and handheld transmitter batteries in a single rack space. | |
| 16 | PSM®900 offers unprecedented audio and RF performance for the most demanding professional applications. | |
| 20 | QLXD1 Wireless Bodypack Transmitter quickly syncs with a wireless receiver over IR at the push of a button and maintains a clear, uninterrupted signal over its entire range. | |
| 4 | Dual-channel PSM®1000 offers premium features for touring-grade wireless monitoring applications. |
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