Ministry IT Certification

For some time I've wrestled with how best to respond when asked by a church or ministry what they should look for in hiring an IT person. Using technology in a ministry setting is different than doing so in most settings.

Then I got a call from Steve Hewitt, Editor-in-Chief of Christian Computing Magazine about starting a company together that would provide a certificate program focusing on helping people serve churches and ministries with information technology! Since we both shared similar visions and passions, and are both strongly driven by empowering organizations and people to build The Kingdom, we formed a new company called Ministry Technology Institute! We made the public announcement about it yesterday, and here's the press release we handed out today:

Press Release
GRAPEVINE, TX. On July 12, 2007 at the NACBA National Conference, Steve Hewitt (Editor-in-Chief of Christian Computing Magazine) and Nick Nicholaou (President of MBS, Inc.) announced the formation of a new company called Ministry Technology Institute. Ministry Tech, as they referred to it, will serve the church and ministry community by offering a certification program for those serving ministries with technology.

"Ministry Tech's mission is to train and equip tomorrow's ministry technology leaders," said Steve Hewitt. "Many in ministry are looking for a way to identify information technology people qualified to serve in ministry settings," added Nick Nicholaou.

Ministry Tech will begin accepting students this Fall, offering classes in church management software selection, network strategies, internet strategies, website design and implementation strategies, technology legal issues, multimedia strategies, and resource software. Classes will be offered in a distance learning environment, and the initial certification will take about one year.

Ministry Tech will also offer such services as job placement and continuing education for alumni. Participants will have minimum requirements and the opportunity to major in a technology discipline such as multimedia or network administration.

"We're excited to play a growing role in ministry technology that helps build The Kingdom," said Nick. "It’s my belief that the proper use of technology can greatly enhance the ministry of any church," added Steve.

For more information about Ministry Technical Institute, visit www.ministry-tech.com.