Melbourne Chin Church: Mixing Modern and Traditional Worship
Melbourne Chin Church (MCC) has been home to a vibrant and growing Chin community for over 25 years. What began with just eleven members has now become a thriving congregation of more than 800 people, a community deeply connected to its cultural identity and worship expression.
As MCC prepared to step into its next chapter, they engaged Forefront Productions to deliver a complete audio, lighting, and video solution that would honour tradition while elevating the worship experience for the next generation.
“For Chin people, our church is a very important place, and wherever we go, we try to get a place where we can worship,” shared Pastor Freddy Biak Sin, Youth Pastor at MCC. “It was so hard to build a church, but by the grace of God… the building is here.”
Designing a System for Modern Worship with Traditional Roots
MCC’s new building is intentionally bright, welcoming, and modern, yet the worship style remains authentic and rooted in simplicity.
As Pastor Freddy explained,
“When we come in, it feels very modern… but if you are in the worship then you will find that it's very simple, not as modern as you would think.”
This balance presented a unique challenge: create a technical system that supports modern production expectations while preserving the reverence and cultural expression that MCC values. Forefront Productions worked closely with the church leadership from the earliest architectural planning stages.
“The leadership of Melbourne Chin Church (MCC) were a pleasure to work with on this project,” said Nick Burns, Managing Director of Forefront Productions. “They are always looking to the future, to set up for the generations to come. MCC utilised our complete design process, through to installation and training. We were engaged during the architectural planning stage and were able to help guide to the most beneficial outcome for the church’s unique needs and purpose.”
A Seamless Audio Experience
From the earliest design discussions, it was clear MCC needed an audio system capable of handling everything from quiet prayer sessions to powerful congregational worship and community events, all without compromising clarity or warmth. Enter the combination of an Adamson iS7 Line Array, Quest monitor wedges, and front-of-house control via an Allen & Heath Avantis mixing desk.
Wireless freedom is provided by Sennheiser EW-DX systems, while musicians benefit from Sennheiser G4 in-ear monitors. Drums, guitars and traditional instruments are captured by a mix of Austrian Audio, Sennheiser and Shure instrument mics, and the voices of choirs and worship teams are faithfully reproduced thanks to premium Earthworks choir mics.
Lighting that Respects Atmosphere and Enhances Worship
MCC’s new building is bright and welcoming, a physical symbol of hope and community. But for worship nights, the space needed versatility: lights that could create ambience and intimacy without dominating the mood.
Using a rig built from TourPro and Chauvet professional fixtures, powered through LSC distribution and patching, Forefront gave MCC a lighting solution that flows with the service. Controlled by MA Lighting’s MA3onPC, the lighting transitions smoothly all without overpowering the simplicity and reverence of Chin worship style.
Video & IMAG
With a growing congregation and a passionate media team, both the capture and display of quality video content was paramount. The heart of the installation is a 7 m × 4 m main LED wall using the affordable but stunning Pixapanel instaLED, supported by 3.5 m × 2 m IMAG screens to bring worship, scripture and community announcements clearly to every corner of the sanctuary. With a brilliant colour reproduction and a super fine pixel pitch of 2.9mm for the centre wall, and 2.6mm for the IMAG screens, is as breathtaking as it is practical.
Behind the scenes, a robust workflow built on Blackmagic Design Constellation video switcher, URSA Broadcast cameras and Canon CN-E Cinema Lenses ensures that each service is faithfully and smoothly captured, broadcast and displayed in service. The result is a worship environment where everyone, from far-back pews to front-row seats, sees, hears and engages fully.
Simple Systems and Automation
For the main auditorium, every piece of equipment was purposefully selected to ensure the entire system design was both robust and simple to use for the church’s volunteers, meaning week-to-week, they could fully rely on the technology in place. This volunteer-centric approach extended to the automation of systems in the auxiliary rooms and spaces, with automated lighting, audio and video control done with Kramer. Using just an iPad, volunteers can adjust background music, microphones and other audio feeds, route video feeds to the many TV’s around the building, and even fire off lighting cues, without needing additional training. That simplicity means that mid-week meetings and community events all run smoothly, even without a full-time technical team.
Partnering for the Future Vision
Pastor Freddy described the collaborative process simply…
“We just say stuff that is in our mind, and they are able to grab that idea and then implement it in the best way they can, and we are so happy with what we have got. Every single detail, they took it very seriously… For that reason, I’m very happy to work with Forefront.”
MCC now has a home that reflects who they are, a church rooted in faith and community, empowered by thoughtful design and production excellence. Forefront Productions is proud to have partnered with them on this journey, blending modern production standards with deep respect for culture, worship and fellowship.