How Well Does Your Ministry Secure Personal Data?
December 14, 2016
Churches—and other ministries, as well—commonly store a variety of personal information about their members and the people who support them. Mailing lists and donation records may be the most familiar repositories of personal information; however, the average church database is also likely to include Social Security numbers and payment card information.
Unsecured, this data could make church members vulnerable to criminals—putting church and ministry members at risk. What can you do to protect your members’ personal information? Start with these suggestions.
Improve physical security
How you and your staff handle information will go a long way to safeguarding the personal information you maintain about your members and your church or ministry.
- Shred documents with person information before throwing them away.
- Use secured mailboxes or a post office box to send and receive business mail.
- Ensure that you have a member’s permission before providing personal information about them. Even when a church or ministry member calls or emails asking for personal information they have previously provided to you, ensure that you verify their identity before releasing the information.
- Store all records in locked cabinets.
- Limit access to sensitive information.
- Train your office staff to protect the confidentiality and security of personal information.
- Lock your facility; set alarms.
Improve computer security
In today’s electronic age, your computer system can be a prime target of would-be hackers and other information thieves. Protect your system. If you can’t do it yourself, get the technical help you need.
- Find an established, reputable computer support company that comes highly recommended.
- Ensure that your operating system is always up to date. This is your first line of defense.
- Use virus and spyware protection—even if you have a one-computer office.
- Update virus definitions regularly and scan computers for malicious software.
- Install a dependable firewall.
- Encrypt your wireless network.
- Back up records frequently. Store backups in a secure, off-site location to protect your ministry from losing records to computer breaches and other events, including natural disasters.
- Change passwords frequently and limit access to select staff members or volunteers.
Never take protecting personal information lightly. The integrity of your administrative and financial practices is always worth the effort you take to maintain information security. By carefully managing your members’ personal information, you are not only exercising good business practices, but you also are protecting your church or ministry from crippling data losses, embarrassing public disclosures, and potential lawsuits.
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- June 20, 2018
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Thinking about taking a group from your ministry ziplining? Be sure to confirm that the site you choose complies with the new Kentucky state law that regulates aerial recreational devices.
- June 1, 2018
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- April 18, 2018
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- February 21, 2018
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On January 27, American Church Group of Kentucky and Heartland Church in Paducah hosted a Church Security Conference to help educate ministries on how to protect their people and ministries. The three-and-a-half-hour event was free to attend and offered local churches an opportunity to learn how to develop a safety and security mindset and identify potential gaps in their current safety and security procedures.
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- June 7, 2017
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If you are in the process of planning a mission trip for your church group, make sure to think carefully about insurance, safety, and security as you hammer out the details. Extra preparation could minimize headaches when your group arrives on the mission field.