What is the purpose of MinistryTech.net and who is behind this site?

About us (The short version):
This site is for you, run by people like you who have experience in Information Technology, web development and audio and video media. We have a vision to create a community for fellowship and to help each other overcome the various technical challenges we face each day in ministry.

What about the guy who started this thing? (The long version):
Let’s start with the “Who”, I have been in the Information Technology realm for about 14 years in various capacities ranging from sales and consulting, troubleshooting and repair for PCs and Macintosh computers, databases and OLAP reporting and web design (which is what my first company Viscid Designs was based on) and more. On the Audio side of things I have been a professional musician (currently I am part of the worship band at my church), I have been a soundman, and I also went to school for and worked in a recording studio and had the opportunity to work as a studio engineer for a few record company projects. I don’t share all this to gloat because I am humbled everyday by other people’s talents, but more to give you a quick background in the technical realm I came from.

Ok, the “What” or “Why”. I went through a period of time helping my church with various IT and audio related tasks and realized there were not many resources out there for ministries when there was a question. Now, some may say computers are computers and it’s all the same in the business world as it is in ministry but I have found that while many technical situations do cross over there truly are different challenges in the ministry world. One of the biggest challenges are the resources a church can have in regard to people, skill and money to accomplish the things they would like.

For example, only about 1% of all churches in the country have more than 1000 members, 1 percent! So it is safe to say that at least 95% of churches are not considered "mega churches" and do not have a large congregation or resource pool with the knowledge needed in the tech and a/v areas, also there is a good chance they do not have the monetary means to hire a person full time to handle it for them.

It is with this information that God put the idea in my head and on heart for MinistryTech.net. The idea to build a site that will offer information to help guide people, and a community where people can share information and best practices. This will be done with message boards and a chat area for you to ask questions or share what has worked for you in a particular area so it can bless someone else wondering where to start. I foresee the churches that “have” to share with those who don’t and hopefully they will gain knowledge and fellowship through the process. Also, I foresee offering consulting and/or speaking services by myself or those who become regulars here at the site and are able to get involved in that way about various topics. Please get in touch with me if you have any questions or want to get more involved.

Thanks for visiting MinistryTech.net,
Keith Tackel

Visit my blog for thoughts about worship, ministry, technology and whatever is on my mind.