Assessing Your Church for Cybersecurity

This past July, we offered a well-attended webinar, “You, Your Church, and Cybersecurity,” with guest presenter Jeff Koch, president and CEO of United Methodist Insurance. Many participants said they appreciated the presentation and the important information. One email I received was from Jamie Dillard, a member of a United Methodist church in the Virginia Annual Conference, who works in IT (information technology) and cybersecurity. We talked about how many churches don’t have IT staff to consult on these issues. He volunteers in his local church, working with their technology, and he wondered if he could be helpful to churches that didn’t have that kind of support.

Jamie shared an assessment tool with me that can help churches weigh how vulnerable they might be to cybersecurity issues. We have made it available for download and use in your local church.

Many church leaders and members feel that bad behavior or misconduct “couldn’t happen here,” or “we are a small church, so no one would attack us.” Before trusting such assertions, you might want to review the “Church Security Assessment Questions” to see how your church ranks.

Jamie has agreed to make his email available if, after taking the assessment, you have questions or would like a consultation: [email protected].

DOWNLOAD Church Security Assessment Questions (PDF)