Willow Creek Community Church, Illinois, USA

Context

The Team

Willow Creek Community Church Elevates Worship with L-Acoustics L Series Professional Sound System

Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington, Illinois, renowned for its pioneering approach to contemporary worship, is home to one of North America’s largest auditoriums, seating over 7,200 attendees. As a leader in worship innovation, Willow Creek aimed to set a new benchmark in audio quality that would match its vision for immersive worship experiences. However, their previous PA system, nearing two decades old, struggled to reach every seat with clarity, often leading to complaints about volume inconsistencies and sound harshness. To achieve the worship experience they envisioned, Willow Creek partnered with audio integration experts at Clark to install an L-Acoustics L Series professional sound system.

The Challenge

The sheer size and unique architecture of Willow Creek’s auditorium presented significant challenges. Spanning a 100-foot proscenium opening and 80-foot fly house, the venue required a compact yet powerful system that wouldn’t obstruct sightlines or disrupt the layout’s structural elements. The prior system’s coverage was inadequate, leaving many seats without clear, balanced sound. Engineers were forced to limit volume to avoid feedback and harshness, diminishing the impact of the worship experience. The new system needed to provide consistent sound coverage, superior clarity, and immersive quality across this vast and complex space.

The Solution

Clark, Willow Creek’s integration partner, installed the state-of-the-art L-Acoustics L Series sound system, leveraging its cutting-edge Progressive Ultra-Dense Line Source (PULS) technology. The new setup includes two L2 over one L2D loudspeaker enclosures per side, supported by additional out-fill arrays, flown KS28 subwoofers, and over 100 5XT coaxials to ensure full under-balcony coverage. The system design also features a combination of cardioid and supercardioid configurations that control rear rejection, which is essential for enhancing the clarity of both spoken word and musical elements. For the engineering team, the L Series provides a seamless experience with its reference X8i monitors at the FOH position, ensuring consistency in sound quality throughout the space.

The Result

The transformation was immediate. Fernando Gamas, the front-of-house engineer, notes, “Our previous system couldn’t cover every seat effectively. With the L Series, we’re now able to run at higher volumes, sometimes reaching 95 dBA, without sacrificing the smooth, clear, and engaging sonic signature.” The new system has redefined the auditory experience, with intimate, intelligible speech and dynamic music that reaches the back rows as vibrantly as the front. Willow Creek’s production director, Dave Cooke, shares, “Walking into the back of the auditorium during a Sunday service, I was struck by the incredible sound quality reaching all the way to the rear of the room. It was everything we were looking for in a sound system.”

Project photos