Whenever I pop over to somebody else’s blog I always want to know the answer to certain questions. What’s their experience, what are their qualifications (not necessarily paper based) and what drives them. Additionally when I visit a tech blog where the owner is involved in IT support for a Church I always want to know what they support.

And yes, I do want to know how many and how big but not so that I can compare (as in my Church is bigger than yours ner ner) but so that I know how far down the journey they already are. Are they able to help me if needed or can I offer them my ideas, support, services. So knowing that someone supports a small network, for arguments sake, and that is the extent of their experience and knowledge helps me to understand they likely won’t be able to help me with complex routing issues or in configuring up network based apps, etc.

So in an effort to help others and sticking (mostly) within the realms of the Church I attend I am directly and soley responsible for:

• 1 server running W2k3 Server
• 12 PC’s on a simple star network running from a single ethernet switch
• The project management and development of the Church’s websites:
  • 1 x eCommerce
  • 1 x Members
  • 1 x Seeker Friendly Site
  • 1 x Unrelated to the Church but a sub ministry
• 1 Apple MAC G5
• Assorted bits of software.
• Link to ISP
• Domain Management including eMail accounts, etc
• Secondary support for Sage Line50
• Assorted printers and other peripherals

I’m pretty sure there are things I’ve missed out but one can see that the network is very small but due to the nature of the day to day business of the Church – they are a major importer of Christian books for the UK marketplace – it is crtical and they require backups, centralised stock management, frequent access to email, internet and so on. There are plans to expand and it is in these areas I am really concentrating my interests at the Church and praying about my future for.

I have a desire to see technology be it audio, video, lighting, media, IT or whatever be fully utilised and better utilised within the Church at large and certainly within my own. I certainly have the desire and in most areas I have a very good understanding of and use of the technology involved. For example, I don’t do the sound support (anymore) for the Church but I do understand it. I have used it, I have set it up, I know its shortcomings, etc … however the Church already has an established group running the sound but they are not managed, not trained, not guided and mostly not properly appreciated.

I want to see all aspects of the Church come under a central head. That head, I believe, needs to have an understanding of the tech first and secondly be able to represent the disparate groups to the senior Church staff. They also need to be able to manage, encourage and give direction to these teams.

Do I see myself in that role? Certainly but let me stress that I am not striving to make that role mine but I am actively asking God if this is what He wants me to do. Should the role be given to someone else, the I will get behind them with the fullness of my abilities and knowledge and help them. Personally I don’t care whom does it so long as someone does and yes, I have approached the leadership about this and all I’ll say is watch this blog.

So what areas need to be centralised under a single department?

IT – Media (printed and electronic) – Church Magazine – A/V/L – Overhead Projectors – Internet cafe – After School Clubs – and more that on typing this I don’t recall immediately but are there.