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What Your Church Should Know about IT

Generative artificial intelligence (AI) became mainstream about 18 months ago, thanks to tools like ChatGPT. 

Since then, media attention for AI has only swelled (including here at Church Law & Tax, between my piece about legal considerations and advisor-at-large Jonathan Smith’s helpful article on evaluating and using the technology for ministry). 

It’s all the buzz. And rightfully so. Some believe it will fundamentally transform the way humans work, think, and play, as one Forbes contributor opined heading into 2024.

But the buzz also has a downside: It overshadows a lot of other information technology (IT) issues we need to manage well. 

Things like data management. WiFi. Hardware. Websites. Audio/video (A/V) technology. Software. Staffing. 

A lot of church ministry depends upon IT, so it can’t be neglected. It’s a core part of church operations in the same way accounting, compensation, and facilities have long been.  

That’s why Church Law & Tax set out to update Church IT: Using Information Technology for the Mission of the Church with author and IT consultant Nick Nicholaou. Nicholaou teamed with Smith to co-author the third edition of this book.

This new release provides timely updates to key core principles and functions of IT in churches, including IT’s mission, the types of solutions churches need (whether for hardware, software, WiFi, Voice over Internet Protocol (VOIP), or more), and indispensable strategies, be it for staffing, maintenance, security, or standardization. 

And, yes, there’s a new chapter devoted to AI by Smith as he further expands upon the thinking from his article last year. AI can’t be ignored—it just needs to be addressed alongside myriad other tech-related matters. Church IT offers a wonderful primer for achieving that balance. 

Matthew Branaugh

Business Owner, Church Law & Tax

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Church IT, 3rd Edition

This updated and expanded edition of Church IT offers practical guidance on careful, strategic approaches for leveraging IT effectively to advance the church’s mission.
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