Paragon 360 partnered with Venture Church in a project with the goal to transform the portable ministry into a permanent campus designed for long-term impact.

Venture Church was founded in 2016 by Pastor Tim Neptune as a portable church meeting weekly at Florida SouthWestern State College. Access to the facility was unexpectedly lost during COVID. Venture Church partnered with Paragon 360 for a collaborative project from touring churches and building teams to securing the site and transforming it.

Paragon worked with DeAngelis Diamond to build the worship space. The new campus includes an 800-seat worship center along with youth environments, a nursery and kitchen, offices, conference rooms and outdoor amenities. Paragon 360 delivered united design, technology and fabrication in the space. The company’s scope included space planning and layout, lighting systems, motorized rigging, campus-wide acoustical treatments, interior design, furniture, fixtures and equipment, as well as auditorium seating, ceiling features, outdoor audio, signage and wayfinding and extensive custom fabrication of theming and architectural elements.

Custom integrations such as wall columns, illuminated front of stage facades, rear stage pixel tape scenic elements, a custom drum enclosure, camera platforms, acoustical ceiling clouds and a new pulpit were implemented in the worship center.

Paragon designed and deployed fully integrated audio, video, and lighting (AVL) systems across the entire campus including the worship center, children and youth rooms, lobbies, conference rooms and outdoor systems. The worship center features high-performance audio reinforcement, LED video displays, camera systems, LED stage lighting and house lighting with motorized rigging and hearing assist systems. Pixel tap scenic wedges and a broadcast control room, as well as a video mixing room are also included.

Lobby spaces, adult classrooms, children and youth environments and conference rooms also feature AVL systems that include additional LED walls, audio, video and lighting systems. Additionally, Over 190 custom acoustical ceiling clouds were designed, built, and installed by Paragon across the campus. Paragon also provided 384 Sauder Clarity auditorium seats and built-in aisle lighting in the worship center.

“Paragon’s scope was extensive. They led the overall design and concepting process for this amazing facility which is almost 60,000 square feet of space. We wanted someone who could do it all – and that’s why we called Paragon and it’s why we called them first. They understand church,” said Tim Neptune, senior pastor, Venture Church

Paragon said that lighting is anchored by Prolights theatrical fixtures alongside Chauvet, Elation, ETC, Environmental Lights and Meteor Lighting, while rigging and structural elements are supported by Extreme Structures, Skjonberg Controls and SSRC. Video is driven by large-format LED walls from ReveLux with processing by NovaStar, and switching, routing, and conversion handled primarily by Blackmagic Design and Decimator. Blackmagic Design and Panasonic camera systems were employed and supported by Clear-Com. Audio systems are led by Martin loudspeakers and amplification with Fulcrum Acoustic subs, with control and mixing via Allen & Heath, supported by Waves, Shure, DPA, RF Venue, Symetrix and Powersoft. The space also features a new hearing assist system utilizing a Listen Technologies transmitter via the Auracast broadcast platform.

“Today’s church is about relationships, connection, and engagement… and Paragon understands that. They helped us create spaces where those things just naturally develop,” said Neptune.