Gateway Church: Service Through Sustainability

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
	ADX5D	32	Shure Axient® Digital ADX5D dual-channel portable wireless receiver for broadcast audio and sound for film. Learn more about the ADX5D wireless receiver.
	AXT600	5	Axient Spectrum Manager delivers wide-band UHF spectrum scanning, spectrum analysis, and compatible frequency coordination in a single rack unit.
	AD610	5	The AD610 provides a wireless ShowLink® connection between all linked transmitters and receivers.
	AD2/SM58	48	A rugged metal handheld transmitter with powerful features and an SM58® cartridge. Available in black.
	AD1	9	Lightweight, durable bodypack with optional rechargeability and TA4 and LEMO3 connector options.
	ADX1	5	A slim, light ShowLink-enabled bodypack with powerful features and options.
	ADX2/B58	6	A sleek metal handheld transmitter with ShowLink remote control. Beta 58A® cartridge, black finish.
	ULXD4D	8	Two channels of uncompromising audio quality, RF signal stability and efficiency, and advanced setup features in a single rack unit.
	ULXD2/SM58	10	With an interchangeable SM58® microphone cartridge, the ULXD2/SM58 delivers uncompromising audio quality and RF performance, and AES 256-bit encryption for secure transmission.
	ULXD1	10	Up to 12 hours of use with rechargeable battery. 330 ft (100 m) operating range. TA4M and LEMO3 versions available.
	QLXD4	40	Half-rack QLXD4 Digital Wireless Receiver quickly finds open frequencies and deploys them to transmitters via the one-touch sync function.
	QLXD24/B58	20	Featuring a BETA 58A® handheld wireless microphone transmitter, QLXD24/B58 combines professional features with simplified setup and operation.
	QLXD1	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.
	PSM 1000	4	Dual-channel PSM®1000 offers premium features for touring-grade wireless monitoring applications.
	PSM 900	16	PSM®900 offers unprecedented audio and RF performance for the most demanding professional applications.
	SBC902	137	Discontinued
	SBC200	84	Dual docking recharging station charges SB900B batteries in or out of their transmitters.
	SBC800	17	8-battery charger charges 8 SB900B batteries to full capacity within 3 hours.
	SBRC	19	Accommodates up to 8 Shure rechargeable bodypack and handheld transmitter batteries in a single rack space.
	SBC-AX	52	Charging module charges 2 SB900B Rechargeable Batteries in the SBRC Rack Mount Charging Station.
	SBC240	10	Two-bay networked docking charger for SB910 and SB920A batteries
	SBC840	5	Eight-bay networked charger for SB910 and SB920A batteries