USA - The Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd built their first sanctuary in downtown Reno in 1951. Over the years the church's congregation has grown steadily, straining the limits of their small facility. Now, after more than 60 years the church has been rewarded with a new 500-seat worship center, directly adjacent to the original sanctuary.
The new facility is big, bright and airy, with an open feel and modern audio and video systems, including a pair of Iconyx IC Live digitally steered line array systems from Renkus-Heinz. As Scott Schmidt of Reno-based JC Productions explains, they were fortunate to have the room's acoustics working for, rather than against them.
"The architect who designed the space has done a number of traditional sanctuaries, and really did a fantastic job," says Schmidt. "Most of the walls are not parallel, and there's a sloped ceiling that's about 60 feet at its highest point. The wall behind the choir is angled about five degrees, which really helps with reflectivity."
Like many of today's churches, Good Shepherd has been expanding outside the traditional Lutheran model and offering a range of services to cater to a wider congregation. "They offer a traditional Lutheran service early in the morning, followed by a more contemporary service with full band, and then one more traditional service," says Schmidt.
Good Shepherd's choir is among the best, and the room's acoustics only serve to enhance the sound. That said, the same acoustics that work so well for congregational singing can become problematic when you add amplified music to the mix.
"The band is using all amplified instruments, running through the PA, and they're all using in-ear monitors, so that does help keep the sound under control somewhat," says Schmidt "They're using electronic drums, and there are no amplifiers onstage. But it's still a pretty live space, and they needed a sound system that could steer the acoustical energy away from the walls and into the seating area."
