BEGIN:VCALENDAR
VERSION:2.0
PRODID:-//The Church Network - ECPv6.18.3//NONSGML v1.0//EN
CALSCALE:GREGORIAN
METHOD:PUBLISH
X-ORIGINAL-URL:https://thechurchnetwork.com
X-WR-CALDESC:Events for The Church Network
REFRESH-INTERVAL;VALUE=DURATION:PT1H
X-Robots-Tag:noindex
X-PUBLISHED-TTL:PT1H
BEGIN:VTIMEZONE
TZID:UTC
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:+0000
TZOFFSETTO:+0000
TZNAME:UTC
DTSTART:20250101T000000
END:STANDARD
END:VTIMEZONE
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20261103T130000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20261105T150000
DTSTAMP:20261014T201133Z
CREATED:20261014T201133Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20261014T201133Z
UID:10000026-1793710800-1793890800@thechurchnetwork.com
SUMMARY:Tech Week
DESCRIPTION:Tech Week 2026: Technology\, Security\, and AI for Church Leaders  \nTechnology is reshaping nearly every aspect of church operations\, from administrative systems and cybersecurity to artificial intelligence and data-driven decision-making. Join The Church Network for this three-day online learning experience designed to help church leaders understand today’s technology landscape and prepare confidently for the future.  \nYou’ll gain practical insights into the current state of church IT\, learn how to strengthen your church’s cybersecurity posture in an increasingly complex threat environment\, and explore how AI can enhance productivity\, improve decision-making\, and support effective ministry administration. Whether you oversee operations\, finance\, communications\, technology\, or executive leadership\, this event will equip you with actionable strategies to leverage technology wisely while protecting your people\, mission\, and resources.  \nAttend individual sessions or participate in the full series to develop a stronger foundation for leading your church through today’s digital challenges and tomorrow’s opportunities.  \n  \nDay One – Tuesday\, November 3 – 1-2pm CT  \nJonathan Smith is the President of MBS and the Chief Technology Officer at Faith Ministries in Lafayette\, IN. He is an author and frequent conference speaker. You can reach Jonathan at jonathans@mbsinc.com and follow him on X @JonathanESmith.  \nSession Title: State of Church IT  \nDescription: Church technology is evolving rapidly\, impacting many areas of church operations. This session explores the current state of church IT\, key trends shaping the future\, practical risks to address today\, and strategic decisions leaders should make now to prepare for tomorrow.  \n  \nLearning Objectives  \n\nIdentify the major technology trends\, risks\, and opportunities currently affecting the church. \n\n\nEvaluate their church’s current technology systems to support ministry effectiveness\, security\, and future growth. \n\n\nConsider next steps for prioritizing IT investments\, policies\, and technology initiatives that align with ministry goals and emerging organizational needs. \n\n  \nPerquisites: None   \nSession Level: Overview  \n  \nDay Two – Wednesday\, November 4 – 1-2pm CT  \nChris Martenson is Chief Data Officer at Arete\, where he leads data strategy\,  \ngovernance\, and execution to power the company’s intelligence-led solutions.  \nPartnering with Arete’s incident response\, managed services\, and threat intelligence  \nteams\, he turns complex data into actionable insight. He previously served as Arete’s  \nCOO and spent nearly six years at Microsoft on Xbox Live.  \n  \nSession Title: When Cyberattacks Happen: Protecting Your Ministry\, People and Mission  \n  \nDescription: Cyberattacks can disrupt ministry\, compromise donor trust\, expose sensitive  \ninformation\, and impact a church’s ability to serve its congregation. Drawing on  \nlessons from more than 13\,000 incident response engagements\, this session provides  \npractical steps church leaders can take to reduce risk\, strengthen resilience\, and  \nprotect their people\, mission\, and ministry.  \n  \nLearning objectives:  \n\nIdentify common cybersecurity threats facing churches and ministries\, including risks to donor data\, financial systems\, staff\, and congregational information.\nAssess their organization’s current cybersecurity preparedness and determine key vulnerabilities that could impact ministry operations and stakeholder trust.\nImplement practical risk-reduction and incident-response strategies that strengthen organizational resilience and support ministry continuity following a cyber event. \n\n  \nPerquisites: None   \nSession Level: Intermediate  \n  \nDay Three – Thursday\, November 5 – 1-3pm CT  \nTim Kong is Business Administration Pastor at Grace Fellowship Church\, a three-campus church in New York’s Capital Region\, overseeing finance\, compliance\, and policy. A Certified Church Administrator with two decades in ministry\, he serves on ECFA’s Standards Advisory Committee and The Church Network’s Investment Committee and he also leads TCN’s CONFERENCE HR FastTrack.  \nSession Title: TBD \n  \nRuss Donaho is Pastor of Administration at Family Church\, a multicampus church in Windermere\, Florida. He is also a Principal with Stonebreakers\, focusing on leadership under pressure\, team development\, and AI’s impact on leaders. Russ has nearly 30 years in church leadership and an M.Div. from NOBTS. He and his wife proudly cheer on the University of Alabama\, where their daughter attends (and where all his money goes).  \nSession Title: AI for Church Administration: From Overwhelmed to Optimized  \nDescription: Artificial intelligence is changing the way churches manage operations\, communication\, finance\, facilities\, and leadership support. Discover practical\, ministry-focused ways to use AI to save time\, improve decision-making\, streamline administrative tasks\, and enhance stewardship\, plus how to roll it out to your staff wisely. No technical expertise required. Leave with ideas\, tools\, and prompts you can use immediately.  \n  \nLearning objectives:  \n\nUse a paid AI tool (ChatGPT\, Claude\, Copilot\, or Gemini) as a thought partner for real administrative work\, including church documents\, vendor comparisons\, and drafting in your own voice. \n\n\nIdentify where connectors and automations can save time\, and where human review must stay in the loop. \n\n\nLead a responsible AI rollout to staff\, including a practical policy that protects confidential information. \n\n  \nPerquisites: None (A paid AI account is recommended: an enterprise\, nonprofit\, or paid business plan that keeps your information out of the model’s training.)  \nSession Level: Basic to Intermediate 
URL:https://thechurchnetwork.com/event/tech-week/
LOCATION:Zoom
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://thechurchnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/Tech-Week_Website-event-photos.png
END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR