A Wake-Up Call: Why Churches Need an MSP

It starts very innocently. A well-meaning volunteer brings their personal laptop to manage the AV system during service. A helpful treasurer assists with counting Sunday’s contributions and downloads an Excel file from their device to your network. A busy staff member, rushing between tasks, opens what appears to be a legitimate attachment from their email.

In that moment, everything changes. A sophisticated virus activates silently, infiltrating your entire network. Within hours, it has accessed your membership database, which contains addresses, phone numbers, financial information, and even confidential pastoral care notes. When sensitive data is exposed, financial and reputational damage may not be far behind.

Stop! This is Your Wake-up Call!

This isn’t a hypothetical scenario for “other” churches. Don’t dismiss this as applicable only to mega-churches. The question isn’t if your systems will be targeted, but whether you’ll be prepared when it happens.  

A must-read for all churches, 22 Must-Have Tools Every Church IT Director Needs, outlines free and paid IT solutions for churches to help you build a more secure, organized, and efficient IT environment for your church. 

The Threat Is Real

Churches are places of connection, community, and service, but behind the scenes, they rely heavily on technology to keep everything running. From livestreaming sermons and managing donations to staying connected with members and maintaining sensitive member records, your church’s IT infrastructure plays a vital role.

Unfortunately, many churches start from a false sense of security. 

• 49% of all church donations are now made through credit cards or other electronic methods (Enterprise Apps Today, 2024). 
• Ministries and other nonprofit organizations now account for almost 43% of all cyberattacks in the U.S. and Canada (Guidestone, 2021).
• Yet, 40% of churches believe they’re not targets—often because they’re small or don’t think they hold valuable data. 

You Don’t Need All the Answers

Many churches struggle to keep up with the constant pressure of managing networks, security, and updates because they simply don’t have the staff, budget, or time. That’s where a Managed Service Provider (MSP) can be a game-changer.

A trusted MSP acts as your church’s IT partner, helping you build a tech environment that’s not only secure and reliable—but also easy for your team to use. Here’s how many MSPs do it, based on four key principles:

• Protect your church’s data and systems from cyber threats
• Keep services running smoothly with a reliable infrastructure
• Simplify volunteer and staff training so nothing falls through the cracks
• Save time and reduce stress by streamlining IT management

1. Protect Your Church’s Data and Systems from Cyber Threats

Your congregation trusts you with their most personal information and their spiritual lives. By prioritizing data security, you’re extending the same care and protection to their digital lives that you provide for their spiritual well-being.  

An MSP helps safeguard your ministry with:

• 24/7 Activity Monitoring: Tracking who accesses church systems and when, looking for unusual patterns that could indicate unauthorized access or compromised accounts.
• Data backup and recovery means restoring your systems without losing precious congregational data to criminals or disaster.
• Firewall protection: Modern firewalls inspect incoming and outgoing data, prevent unauthorized access attempts, and even detect an attack in progress.

2. Keep Services Running Smoothly with Reliable Infrastructure

Your congregation depends on technology working seamlessly during worship services, ministry events, and daily operations. Security isn’t just about preventing attacks – it’s about ensuring your ministry can continue uninterrupted even when technical challenges arise.

MSPs ensure reliability by:

• Managed IT Services: A team of specialists dedicated to staying ahead of threats targeting churches and providing support to staff for any technical issues 
• Remote Workforce Connectivity: Secure remote connectivity is essential, whether your staff works from home or accesses systems while traveling. 

3. Simplify Volunteer and Staff Training So Nothing Falls Through the Cracks

Many churches rely on volunteers or part-time staff who may not be tech-savvy. This makes consistency and training challenging, especially when tools change or people rotate roles. Protection isn’t just about technology – it’s about people. Regular training helps staff and volunteers recognize threats and respond appropriately.

With an MSP, your team gets:

• Training for staff and volunteers to recognize phishing attempts and follow proper procedures for handling sensitive church information.
• Remote support: Provide training specific to remote work security challenges.

4. Save Time and Reduce Stress by Streamlining IT Management

Many churches find themselves caught between two challenging realities: they need sophisticated technology to support modern ministry, but lack the technical expertise and resources to manage these systems effectively. This is where managed IT services specifically designed for religious organizations can transform both your security posture and your ministry effectiveness.

An MSP takes that burden off your plate with:

• Strategic IT planning begins with understanding how technology serves your church’s mission and ministry goals. This means looking beyond immediate technical needs to consider how technology can enhance:
  • Worship experiences
  • Improve pastoral care 
  • Expand community outreach
  • Strengthen congregational connections.

The Bottom Line

Your church’s mission deserves an IT setup that’s secure, smooth, and stress-free. A Managed Service Provider can help you build exactly that, while freeing your team to focus on ministry, not maintenance.

Churches are called to be good stewards, not just of finances and buildings, but also of information. In a digital age, data is ministry-critical. Protecting it means protecting your mission, your members, and your ability to serve.

If your church is ready to improve its technology without the headaches, consider partnering with an MSP who understands faith-based organizations and IT solutions for churches.

From security to support, Higher Ground Managed IT handles your church’s IT needs so you can stay connected and mission-focused.

Ken Brisco

Ken joined ACS Technologies in 2024 as the Sr Product Marketing Manager. He will be responsible for establishing the vision and messaging for key solutions and services under the ACS Technologies portfolio. Ken brings nearly 20 years of experience in Product Marketing roles for various technical software solutions.  He has served in various ministry roles and is passionate about seeing churches fulfill their spiritual objectives.