Sound Boards

• Behringer Wing - Full Size – Top-tier features and flexibility for the price.
• Behringer Wing Compact – Same features as above, smaller footprint.
• Yamaha TF1-TF5 – Good quality boards, but simple and lacking in features compared to the above for the price.

Stage Boxes

• Behringer SD16 – 16 inputs and eight outputs.
• Behringer SD8 – 8 inputs and eight outputs.
• Yamaha Tio1608-D2 – For the Yamaha, required.

Microphones

• Shure SLX-D – Best mic system.
• Sennheiser EW-D 835-S – 2nd option.
• Shure SM57-LC – Best instrument wired mic.
• RODE NTG2 Shotgun – Best choir mic or room audience pickup, also suitable for pianos.

Speakers

• QSC LA 108 (1300W Active 8" Line Array) – For installed sound, the best option for larger churches.
• QSC K12.2 – Portable but also good for installation in smaller churches.
• JBL EON712 or EON715 – Cheapest option that is still very good.

Video Switcher

• BlackMagic Design ATEM Mini Extreme – Live streams and records.

Cameras

• Canon Vixia G70 – Camcorder, not as good of a sensor as below, but easier to use.
• Blackmagic Pocket Cinema 4K – Best option, but you need to buy a lens.
• PTZ Cameras – Expensive and small sensors, also need a controller.
  • Canon PTZ CR300-CR500
  • PTZOptics Move SE 20x

Tripods

• SmallRig AD-50 – The best budget option with fluid head.
• SmallRig FreeBlazer – Taller option.

Lighting Equipment

• CHAUVET DJ EVE P-140 – Best light for the price.
• CHAUVET DJ COREpar Q60 ILS – Best color light for the price.

Graphics Computer - ProPresenter and Live Stream

• Apple Mac Mini M4 (16GB RAM, 256GB storage) – Nothing beats its price and performance.

Monitor

• 1440p monitor is recommended, but any 1080p monitor around 27 inches would be fine. LG and Acer typically cost about $100.

Projectors - Best for larger than 100-inch screens or for large spaces

• Epson PowerLite L890E – Highest brightness (8K lumens) for the price and true 4K.
• ViewSonic LS740HD – Best projector for the price point, but only 5K lumens and Full HD.

TVs - Best for everything if a 100-inch works

• Hisense Class - U7 Series – Comes in various sizes, max 100in.
• Hisense - Class QD7 – Same as above.

• Audio Library – Free music for videos and presentations.
• Free Music Archive – Curated collection of royalty-free music.

• Soundstripe – Unlimited downloads of royalty-free music and sound effects for video production.
• Artlist.io – High-quality, curated music library with simple licensing for video creators.

• DaFont – Free fonts for designing graphics and print materials.
• Church Motion Graphics – Free motion backgrounds and worship visuals.
• Unsplash – High-quality, free stock photography for any use.
• FreePik Free – Free vectors, photos, and PSD files for design projects.

• Envato Elements – Unlimited downloads of graphics, templates, videos, and audio.
• Pro Content by Renewed Vision – Premium worship backgrounds and media for ProPresenter.
• Igniter Media – High-quality church video illustrations and countdowns.
• Motion Array – Video templates, stock footage, music, and graphics for creators.
• Adobe Stock – Professional stock photos, vectors, and videos integrated with Adobe Creative Cloud.
• FreePik Pro – Premium access to millions of vectors, photos, and templates.
• 123RF – Affordable stock photos, vectors, and footage.

Free Adobe Alternative: Canva Pro (completely free for registered non-profits) and the Affinity Suite provide a powerful alternative to Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign for professional graphic design and publishing. https://www.affinity.studio/

Free Pro Video Editor: DaVinci Resolve's free version is a Hollywood-grade editor—the best free option for sermons, announcements, and promotional videos. More powerful than many expensive alternatives.

Office Suite
Recommended: Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, LibreOffice
Use: Word processing, spreadsheets, slides, bulletins, reports
Why It's Useful: Core productivity tools for creating and sharing documents, reports, and presentations. Cloud-based options make collaboration simple, while offline tools keep access reliable.

Presentations & Worship Display
Recommended: ProPresenter
Use: Slides for worship lyrics, sermon points, or announcements
Why It's Useful: Ideal for Sunday services and visual presentations with integrated media and scripture support. Industry standard for churches.

Note Taking / Idea Organization
Recommended: Evernote, Google Keep, OneNote
Use: Sermon prep, planning notes, meeting minutes
Why It's Useful: Helps organize sermon outlines, meeting notes, and planning documents in one accessible location. Great for keeping a running record of church projects, creative ideas, and long-term ministry goals.

Team Communication
Recommended: Microsoft Teams, Slack
Use: Keep pastors, staff, and ministry leads in touch
Why It's Useful: Provides chat, file sharing, and video meetings in one place for effective communication. Both offer generous free plans suitable for most church teams.

Video Conferencing
Recommended: Zoom, Google Meet
Use: Virtual meetings, small groups, remote volunteers
Why It's Useful: Reliable and easy-to-use for remote meetings, online Bible studies, or team check-ins. Excellent free versions available with non-profit discounts for paid plans.

File Sharing & Cloud Storage
Recommended: Google Drive, Microsoft OneDrive, Dropbox Basic
Use: Store and share documents, graphics, and files among staff
Why It's Useful: Keeps shared files organized and accessible for staff and volunteers from any device. Free storage included with non-profit plans from Google and Microsoft.

Graphic Design & Communication
Recommended: Canva, Adobe Express
Use: Flyers, sermon series graphics, announcements, social media
Why It's Useful: Easy-to-use design tools for creating professional visuals for bulletins, screens, and social media. Canva Pro is completely free for most registered non-profits.

Video & Streaming Tools
Recommended: OBS Studio, DaVinci Resolve
Use: Record or livestream services or announcements
Why It's Useful: Powerful, professional-grade tools for recording, editing, and broadcasting church content. OBS Studio is 100% free and the standard for streaming. DaVinci Resolve's free version is professional-grade.

Music & Audio Editing
Recommended: Audacity
Use: Edit sermons or simple music recordings
Why It's Useful: 100% free tool, perfect for cleaning up sermon audio, removing noise, and producing podcasts with professional sound quality.

Printing & Publishing
Recommended: Canva, Affinity Publisher
Use: Create bulletins, newsletters, posters
Why It's Useful: Allows for quick, professional print-ready materials using customizable templates. Canva Pro is free for non-profits. Affinity Publisher is a low-cost, one-time purchase.

Forms & Surveys
Recommended: Google Forms
Use: Gather input, registrations, or prayer requests
Why It's Useful: Simple, powerful, and free tool for collecting feedback, event registrations, volunteer sign-ups, or prayer needs from your congregation.