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Rex Lake was only 12 years old when he recorded his first 7-inch vinyl record. That same year he gave his life to Christ in Tulsa, Okla. Six years later, at age 18, Lake got his first reel-to-reel recorder and a cheap microphone. Since it cost him $45 an hour to record in a studio and he made $1.05 an hour working, it cost him a week’s wage to get just one hour in the studio. Realizing that was not feasible, Lake learned the music business and art of recording.
By the time he was 26, Lake had opened his own recording studio, Lake Sound Inc., and publishing company, Artos Music. Over the next 40 years, the Lord blessed Lake’s efforts and enabled him to develop the business into a state-of-the-art digital facility that produced hundreds of albums for Christian artists. During that time, Lake also expanded the business to another publishing division, HeartSpring Media; a graphics division, Seed Studios Inc.; a film production division, Eterne Films; and a 501c3 company, Got Life?®, which serves as a global evangelistic outreach. Along the way, Lake also became a pilot—something the Lord now uses in combination with Lake’s media industry experience to aid and benefit Texas churches.
In cooperation with the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention’s worship technology ministry, Lake now uses his talents and skills along with four other consultants to help churches troubleshoot media issues and configure top-notch audio/visual set-ups. Whether a church needs help using equipment it already owns or guidance in taking their sound, lights and video operations to the next level, Lake stands ready to help, often flying his own plane to consult with churches on site.
Lake, now retired, says what first got his attention was the realization that many churches have current technology but not the associated technical knowledge to use it well or wisely.
“Having the latest, greatest technology does not necessarily equate to better sound or more engaging Sunday services,” Lake said. “In fact, many churches today experience technology overload and become frustrated, because after spending a lot of money, the audio and video presentation is likely not any better and may actually be worse.”
But, thanks to Lake and other SBTC consultants who travel across the state, improvement is possible.
The convention, through tithes and offerings given by church members through the Cooperative Program, offers the consultation service as a ministry to help churches use resources they already have to provide the best possible audio/visual support for worship services. The Cooperative Program allows the first—and often the only—consultation needed to be provided at no cost to the church.
Church ministry associate Lance Beaumont who coordinates the consultations on behalf of the SBTC says each situation and set-up is different.
“It is really based upon the churches’ needs, and they’re all different,” Beaumont said.
Lake says his approach is to make a church’s system—be it new or old—meet the congregation’s needs and to share the needed “how-to” technical knowledge to make it work well.
“The bottom line is for churches to be able to present the good news of Jesus Christ in a clear and concise manner without problems from the systems used to present that message,” Lake said. “Everything involved in the presentation of that message including the A/V systems, operations and operators must be proficient and efficient for the task.”
Randal Wilson, pastor of Carey First Baptist Church in Childress, said Lake came to help his church twice—once with equipment installation and an in-ear monitor system and another time to help train and coach members operating the sound board and serving on the praise team. Wilson said he thanks the Lord for Lake and his help.
“Rex is very professional, knowledgeable and personable,” Wilson said, adding that Lake even gave a guitarist tips on the best strings to buy. “He is welcome anytime.”
Beaumont said that in addition to sound consultations, the SBTC offers other assistance to churches in the worship technology area as well. Innovate Praise, a technology training event for media teams and worship leaders, provides hands-on training in sound, lighting and projection systems for both novice media team members and experienced technicians. The next events will be held Sept. 18-19 in Houston.
The convention also posts three-minute technology videos on its website at http://sbtexas.com/blog/worship. Topics such as setting the gain, microphones in worship and monitor mixing can all be found there, along with a host of other helps.
For churches, the help the SBTC offers can make the difference between under-utilized A/V capabilities and fine-tuned engineering. For Lake, the technology ministry provides an avenue to use a unique set of gifts and skills to the glory of God and the proclamation of salvation in Christ.
“[When the SBTC] asked me if I would be interested in utilizing my audio/video experience, my sound engineering and musician knowledge, my time, my pilot skills, my love of music and my love of the Lord to minister to churches needing help with their A/V battle, it sounded like a match to me,” Lake said, chuckling. “It’s amazing to watch the Cooperative Program dollars at work and how God is using that process to empower churches across this great state.”
To request a consultation, churches can fill out the “worship tech help request” form at sbtexas.com/blog/worship.
