Avoid a Silent Night: 8 Tips For Your Christmas Service

The Christmas service is often the culmination of a year of singing, praising, and serving. In most congregations, it is the highest attended service each year. With so much on the line, don’t make the usual mistake of waiting until the end of the year to plan for the event. We know it’s only September, but why not start planning now? We’ve collected a list of pro tips for you to start looking over in preparation for Christmas!

Pro Tip 1 – Evaluate last year’s success, and plan for this year.

Let’s start with the basics. How did last year’s service go? What can the church do better this year? Establishing things like who will be involved, how many people are needed, what ages you’re including, and what instruments you need can take a lot of pressure off you later. We know it seems early, but planning ahead of time can help you prepare for things like microphones, speakers, monitors, and instruments. Preplanning can also help you prepare for additional budget.

Pro Tip 2 – Prepare for equipment rentals.

Now that you have an idea of your service plans and who will be participating, you can prepare for the equipment you will need. If your service requires more microphones or speakers than your church has, consider renting them for the weekend. Keep in mind that your Christmas service will probably have more attendants than usual, so you will probably need to rent equipment for your church’s overflow areas. If you decide to rent, make sure you have all of the equipment for your rehearsals so your volunteers can practice with and learn how to use the equipment.

Pro Tip 3 – Get your church’s audio system checked by professionals.

If you don’t follow any of our other advice here, please pay attention to this one. Christmastime is a busy time for us. Last minute tune-ups and emergency service calls can occupy a lot of our time, so make sure you schedule your service ahead of time. Tune-ups should be made annually, so doing it each year leading up to Christmas can be a good reminder. Technicians can check for things like speaker placement, setting adjustments, and more to make sure you’re ready for Christmas.

Pro Tip 4 – Sign up for AVG’s System Preservation program.

The System Preservation program offers services like basic cleaning and tuning, advanced service, and regular adjustments. The scheduled preventative maintenance is convenient, while giving you the security of on-call support from AVG for unexpected problems. Signing up for this program automatically puts you in a rotation for visits before both Christmas and Easter, so you won’t even need to think about it next year.

Pro Tip 5 – Book volunteers and training.

This is a crucial step. Making sure you have reliable volunteers for the Christmas service can make or break the day. If you have your volunteers booked ahead of time, work with AVG to get them trained on the audio system so everyone is ready to go for rehearsals and the day of the service. But, if you book volunteers this early, make sure you’re sending them reminders so they don’t forget their responsibilities!

Pro Tip 6 – If your budget allows, try bringing in a dramatic feature, like lighting!

Imagine your live nativity with professional lighting! Or, if you’re live streaming or recording your service, are you sure you have enough lighting for the cameras? AVG can be your one stop shop for lighting, microphone, and speaker rentals, as well as system tune-ups and volunteer training!

Pro Tip 7 – Create a back-up plan for inclement weather.

Depending on your location, weather can have a big impact on your service. Do you know what you’re responsible for if the service is cancelled? What if the technicians can’t make it to deliver the rental equipment? These are all things you should discuss with your rental company now, so there’s no confusion later.

Pro Tip 8 – Enjoy the Christmas season!

Christmas is a time to relax and spend time with family. By preplanning and getting important details out of the way now, you can spend more time enjoying the holiday with your family come Christmastime.

For all of your Christmas service preparation needs, give Audio-Video Group a call. We can service your current system, make recommendations for rental equipment, train your volunteers, and help make sure your Christmas service goes off without a hitch! Start your planning now. Your future self will thank you.

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