People sometimes ask me how I ended up doing both – IT strategy and rural ministry. The honest answer is that I never really separated them. To me, they’ve always been about the same thing: helping people and organizations build something that lasts.
Two Worlds That Have More in Common Than You’d Think
On the surface, managed service providers and rural churches don’t have much in common. But dig a little deeper, and the parallels are striking:
- Both depend on trust as their primary currency
- Both struggle with volunteer/team burnout when systems aren’t in place
- Both need documented processes to survive leadership transitions
- Both serve communities that are underserved by mainstream resources
- Both are at their best when they’re proactive rather than reactive
The Rewired MSP framework I write about at RewiredMSP.com – trust-based partnerships, scalable systems, empowered teams, objective leadership – applies just as well to a rural church as it does to an IT business.
Rural Communities Are Being Left Behind
Rural businesses often can’t afford the same level of IT support that urban businesses take for granted. Rural churches can’t afford the same staff and programs that suburban megachurches have. That’s why I built MinistryPlace.net to give small churches free access to quality ministry resources, why I host the Rural Think Tank Podcast to give rural ministry leaders a voice, and why the Rewired MSP framework is designed to be accessible to small and mid-sized MSPs.
Where to Find Me
- MSP strategy and IT leadership: RewiredMSP.com
- Small church ministry resources: MinistryPlace.net
- Rural ministry podcast and community: RuralThinkTank.com
- My books: vCIO Rewired, Rewired MSP, Near Miss, Rural Youth Ministry
- Speaking and consulting: Speaking & Podcasting
The intersection of faith, technology, and rural community is a strange place to live. But it’s mine – and I wouldn’t trade it for anything.