SALT Conference 2026 Recap: Highlights for Church Tech and Creative Teams

SALT 2026 arrived in Irving, Texas on October 14, and for church tech and creative teams it was one of the most practical events of the fall. The conference was organized for the people who make Sunday happen: sound and lighting operators, video and streaming teams, designers, worship leaders, and the volunteers who support them. This year’s theme was “How Great Thou Art,” and the program combined main sessions, workshops, and four-hour masterclasses with art installations and time with vendors and partners.

SoundPro attended SALT 2026, and our House of Worship team enjoyed connecting with church tech and creative teams throughout the event. This recap covers the schedule, the workshop tracks, the sessions most relevant to church technology, and a few takeaways from the event, whether you attended or followed along from home. It also points to SoundPro guides that go deeper on several of the topics covered at SALT.

SALT 2026 at a Glance

Schedule: What Each Day Looked Like

Wednesday, October 14

Masterclass registration opened at 11:30 AM, and masterclass sessions began at 12:30 PM. General registration opened at 4:00 PM, and the opening main session started at 6:30 PM in the Worship Center.

Thursday, October 15

Thursday started with a main session at 9:00 AM, followed by the first workshop block at 11:00 AM. Lunch and forums ran at noon, and workshop blocks continued at 1:30 PM and 4:00 PM, with lab and vendor time and a break in between. A third main session closed the day.

Friday, October 16

Friday began with a main session at 9:00 AM, followed by workshops at 11:00 AM and 1:15 PM with lunch and forums in between. The final main session was at 2:45 PM, and the conference wrapped at 4:00 PM.

Workshop Tracks

Workshops at SALT were organized into tracks, which made it easier to build a schedule around your role. The 2026 lineup included these tracks:

• Masterclass: four-hour intensives on specific production, creative, and leadership topics.
• Foundations: essential training for entry-level volunteers and staff, covering audio-visual basics, communication, and event planning.
• Production: sessions for the people who run sound, video, lighting, and live services.
• Worship: sessions for worship leaders and teams.
• Film and Design: video production, graphic design, and motion graphics.
• Digital Media: church communications, content, and online presence.
• Creative Process: sessions on building and sustaining creative work.
• Leadership: guiding creative teams, building culture, and developing volunteers.

Sessions Worth Noting for Church Tech Teams

The full program was broad, so here are several sessions and topics that connected directly to the equipment and planning decisions houses of worship are making this season.

LED walls

The Foundations track included "LED Walls 101: How to Find the Right Screen for Your Ministry," presented by Stephen Brokalis. The session broke down the specifications, terminology, and practical considerations churches should understand before investing in LED. If you are weighing a move from projectors, our church LED video wall guide covers the same ground from a buyer's perspective.

Christmas and Easter production planning

In the Film and Design track, one session used Christmas and Easter productions at Seacoast Church as a case study for preproduction, including the tools and questions that help prevent problems before the day of the event. With the holidays close, this pairs well with our church busy season tech checklist.

Volunteer recruiting and onboarding

The Leadership track included sessions on onboarding and training new production volunteers and on creating environments where people feel safe to learn and make mistakes. For hands-on audio, video, and lighting basics you can use with new team members, see our article on AV operation for house of worship volunteers.

Creative team culture and communication

Phil Bowdle’s session “The Creative Team Your Church ACTUALLY Needs” addressed the pressures creative teams carry, and Brady Shearer’s workshop “The 7 Building Blocks” presented a repeatable system for church communication. These sessions were less about equipment and more about the processes that keep a team healthy.

AI in church workflows

The Digital Media track included a session on using AI for church administrative work, such as cleaning up a church database and building reports. AI tools are one of the most discussed church technology trends of 2026, along with hybrid worship, 4K PTZ cameras, and networked lighting control.

Masterclasses

Masterclasses were four-hour deep dives held on the first day, before main registration opened, and they required a Premium or VIP ticket. The 2026 lineup included “Producing Sunday,” which walked production leaders through how The Potter’s House Church plans, produces, and executes a Sunday morning service, with the goal of moving from reactive weekends to repeatable production systems. Another masterclass offered a behind-the-scenes look at Plex, Trinity Broadcasting Network’s Dallas-area studio facility, which is built to run multiple simultaneous productions.

Bringing It Back to Your Church

The weeks after a conference are when most ideas get lost. With Christmas Eve and Easter approaching, the most useful step is to match what you learned to the systems that matter most during the busy season. These SoundPro guides cover the equipment side of the topics SALT raises:

• Preparing sound, lighting, and streaming for the holidays: church busy season tech checklist
• Reliable wireless for large services: best wireless microphones for churches
• Building or upgrading a stream: church live streaming equipment guide
• Planning stage and sanctuary lighting: church lighting guide
• Choosing a mixer for volunteer teams: best digital mixer for church

FAQ: SALT 2026