Jason Powell - Church IT and Other Musings

IT Opening at Fellowship Technologies

Curtis over at Fellowship Tech passed the following IT job opening along ... if you or someone you know might fit the bill check it out. 

Seeking IT Pro with Passion for Tech and Local Church

Are you searching for a career with true meaning? A job that allows you to use your God given talents to empower the local church through advanced technology? A job where everyone you work with shares your passion, drive, and intense work ethic while keeping in check the priorities of God and family before work.

Fellowship Technologies is currently seeking an IT professional with passion for technology and the local church. Click here for a detailed description of the role and experience required. Please pass along if you know someone.

Please send inquiries and qualified resumés to [email protected].

w00t Worthy NEWS! Justin Moore to join GCC IT Team!

I'm soooooo flippin' excited I could explode!  If you've been following my twitter you already know ... but for those not ... today we could finally go public with our newest addition to the GCC IT team!

Justin Moore will be joining our ranks in August to fill our IT Specialist position! w00t w00t!!!

It's been a very long process ... but we couldn't be more excited!

I'll post more down the road, but I just had to share the great news.  Please congratulate Justin and if you're not following his blog you'll for sure want to now! :-)

Great days are ahead for my team, our church, and the greater Church IT Roundtable movement ...

IT Director Opening at The Chapel in Libertyville, IL

Our friends over at The Chapel passed along an IT opening they are looking to fill.  I chatted with Jim about the position this evening and it sounds like a great opportunity.  Here's the job description PDF and associated blurbage:

Download chapel_exec_dir_of_infotech.pdf

The Chapel is a contemporary, non-denominational, casual and kid-friendly church made up of people from all walks of life.  We’re a multi-campus church with locations in the northwest suburbs of Chicago.  For more information about us, please visit www.launchingamovement.org or www.chapel.org.

God has continued to bless our church and we’ve experienced some terrific growth.  We are currently searching for an Information Technology professional to lead our central Operations Info Tech team out of our Libertyville, IL campus.  This team is responsible for providing the technology infrastructure and support systems across all of our campuses. 

We are always looking for ways to use technology so the church can be effective and relevant to our community.  Our current systems include leading edge technologies such as a four-campus wide area Cisco network, Cisco Call Manager, MS Exchange, Blackberry’s and iPhones, ACS Financials, FellowshipOne, Windows and Mac clients and servers, a PerformancePoint data warehouse, and intra-campus video transmission. We’re continuing to advance our systems and processes as we expand to more campuses in the Chicago area and beyond.

If you’re interested in joining our team in this fast-paced, entrepreneurial and creative environment, please contact us.  Please visit www.chapel.org, click on the “How To Get Involved” tab, and then the “Employment Opportunities” in the left column.

Jim Alexander
Executive Pastor of Operations
The Chapel
847.281.3333
jalexander at chapel dot org

IT Opening At GCC: IT Specialist

Here's the follow up to my prior job opening post (make sure you're read it before sending emails)

IT Specialist

Position: Full Time Support Staff Reports to: Information Technology Director

Summary:

This person’s primary role will be to live and die for the helpdesk. Ridiculous customer service and attention to detail are a must for this position. A Secondary role will be to provide assistance to the Network Administrator for server and network related tasks. We only hire sled dogs--someone who will pull with all their worth to further the mission, vision, values of GCC and the IT Department.

Primary role:

Support users by resolving 1^st-3^rd tier desktop support requests for help with desktop/laptop computers, Windows, Office and other desktop applications, Fellowship One church management software, network issues, and telephony issues

Secondary role:

Manage servers, server applications, networks, security, and phone systems

Qualifications:

· Current A+, Network+, MCSE certifications or actively pursuing certifications a plus.

· Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or related field or actively pursuing degree completion.

· In-depth technical problem solving skills with the ability to support a wide range of technologies and escalate to vendors when necessary to resolve issues.

· Ability to support and train users on Windows XP/Vista and Microsoft Office 2007 applications; familiarity with Fellowship One church management software a plus.

· Ability to troubleshoot PC/Server hardware problems and perform repairs.

· Apple and Linux networking, hardware, software troubleshooting experience a plus.

· Ability to manage information security including permissions, passwords, firewall, anti-malware, anti-spam, and content filtration systems.

· Ability to manage business phone systems, voice mail, desktop phones, and the associated wiring infrastructure.

· At least two years current experience managing Windows 2003 server, Active Directory, Exchange server, and Windows networking.

· At least two years current experience installing, configuring, and supporting managed network switches, routers, firewalls, wireless access points, and the associated wiring infrastructure.

· Strong ability to take initiative, manage workload independently, multi-task, prioritize, document, and follow through with great attention to detail.

· Excellent personal communication skills including ability to explain technical concepts to non-technical end users.

· Ability to work under pressure, to work in a fast paced environment--going above and beyond when needed.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

· Actively monitor all incoming support requests, prioritize, and respond as appropriate providing weekly helpdesk reports/trends

· Maintain a high volume of completed requests with accuracy and efficiency, and provide follow up with end users to ensure satisfactory response and resolution.

· Diagnose and resolve computer software and hardware problems, escalating issues when necessary.

· Complete adds, drops, moves, and upgrades for computer, network, phone, and voicemail.

· Install and support approved desktop application software.

· Provide on-the-spot user training in software and procedures as needed.

· Develop, follow, and/or implement guidelines, strategies, standards, and procedures in conjunction with IT Staff.

· Manage Windows 2003 servers, Active Directory, Windows networking and printers, Exchange server, and other server-based applications.

· Manage information security systems including firewall, anti-malware, anti-spam, and content filtration.

· Install, configure, and support managed network switches, routers, firewalls, wireless access points, and the associated wiring infrastructure.

· Manage phone and voicemail systems and the associated wiring infrastructure.

· Maintain up to date hardware and software inventory including software licensing.

· Other duties as assigned by the IT Director.

IT Opening at GCC

If you've been following my twitter or the #CITRT IRC channel you knew this blog post was coming ... yup, we officially have an opening in the IT department at GCC.

I have the bar set very high for this position ... seriously!  What we do (or don't do) in IT has a huge impact on the ministries operating at GCC ... and we do not take this lightly.  "Above and beyond" is a mantra in our department ... it's part of our DNA.  We don't look at this as a "job" ... this is a ministry. 

Now, we work hard, but we also play hard.  A great sense of humor is a must in our department and you should probably enjoy listening to tasty rock/metal tunes, eating hot wings, watching LOST & BSG, and the obvious enjoyment of all things geek related.  The environment at GCC is simply amazing.  This is truly an inspiring place to work.  Everyone is focused on the same mission, vision, and values ... and the leadership here ... world class.

Due note the except for rare cases, we hire from within ... so, with all that said ... if you're interested in this incredible opportunity shoot Michelle Leugoud an email requesting an application (mleugoud at gccwired dot com)

I'll get the full job description posted here in the next day or 2.  For now here's a snippet:

Working Title: IT Specialist

Position: Full Time Support Staff
Reports to: Information Technology Director

Quick Summary:

This person’s primary role will be to live and die for the helpdesk by resolving 1^st-3^rd tier support requests for help with desktop/laptop computers, Windows, Office and other desktop applications, Fellowship One church management software, network issues, and telephony issues.  Secondary role will be to provide assistance to the Network Administrator for server and LAN/WAN network related tasks and projects.  Ridiculous customer service mind set and attention to detail are a must for this position. We anticipate the role to be 50% helpdesk and 50% network admin.

How I Ended Up In Church IT

For anyone interested here's the testimony I delivered on July 27, 2003 to my former church about our God sized story which lead us to Granger, IN and into church ministry.  I probably read over this once a year when seeds of doubt try to creep into my mind ... it's a great reminder to me about how great a God we serve and why I'm at GCC.  Perhaps my story will be an encouragement for others so here it is ...

Kenosha Bible Church, Kenosha, WI - July 27, 2003 - "Generally it takes about 30mins for the full version of this story, but they told me to chop it down so you’re going to get the condensed Readers Digest version.

If you had asked me just 3 months ago what I’d be doing this summer the answer would have been something like: working my contracted 30 summer days, spend a week or so in IN at both parents, some house work, maybe go away from our 10 year anniversary…in other words nothing really out of the ordinary.

But as it turns out God had a different plan in mind
Instead
• I’ve quit my job which I loved (IT Director, Zion-Benton Township HS District 126, Zion, IL)
• we’re moving to Granger, IN next weekend
• and I going to be working in of all places...a church!

OK…so what caused this sudden MAJOR shift in our lives?!

It may sound silly, but God used the book If You Want To Walk On Water, You've Got To Get Out Of The Boat to play a major role.
God used this book to force me to re-eval my life, my purpose, my goals. I think it should come with a big warning sticker…”Warning: contents my change your life! Proceed with Caution!”

Back in Feb our small group started studying this book and it wasn’t until Chapter 4 pg 79 that God decided to majorly speak to me. The author writes...
Is there any challenge in your life right now that is large enough that you have NO hope of doing it apart from God’s help? If not, consider the possibility that you are seriously underchallenged.
The words YOU ARE SERIOUSLY UNDERCHALLENGED kept echoing in my head for days … I prayed that God would challenge me in ways that would force me to rely on Him.

AND HE promptly complied to my request in lots of ways, but here comes the fun stuff…

The weekend before Spring Break I was informed that the Penn-Harris-Madison School System CIO (Chief Information Officer) position was opening in Granger, IN…a really sweet position that would be a huge step up in salary and responsibility…and get us closer to our parents. I REALLY wanted this position so I spent my entire spring break crafting a sweet resume.

The next week I got an email from Rob, one of my best friends back in college, who’s one of the pastors at Granger Community Church in Granger, IN…yes the same city as the school job! He said their computer guy was leaving and thought I should send in a resume. I didn’t give it much thought as I wasn’t looking for a hard-core tech position and after all how much could the church possibly pay.  Thoughts of driving a barely running beater car and living in a run down trailer came to mind.

After I submitted my resume for the school job, Rob called again about the church job. He explained that they were changing the position into a more administrative position and thought I should seriously check it out.
Since I wanted to be faithful to ANY doors God opened, I went ahead and submitted my resume…still thinking that nothing would probably come of it.

I then got a call from my close IT Director peer at Lake Forest High School (Lake Forest, IL)… his wife was getting transferred and wanted me to take his position! This would be a big bump in salary, but up my commute time considerably.

At this point I said, OK God…what are you up to?
I like my current job and have not been actively looking for something new…now 3 possibilities have been brought to my attention? Help…I need guidance here!

After pondering and prayer I did not pursue the LFHS position…the salary bump would be nice, but nothing else about it seemed to speak to me.

The church called me when they got my resume and I did an hour and a half phone interview with Tony, the pastor of Administration. During the conversation I started feeling that this could actually be where God wanted me. Then as the conversation drew to a close Tony said, so should we continue this dialogue if I tell you that we could not pay you close to what you’re making now? DOH! Why did he have to say that! Sigh. I told him that if this is truly where God wants me then we are prepared to make some sacrifices.

3 weeks went by before we could coordinate an interview at the church. During this time Kim and I were praying hard and asking others to pray that God were show us clearly where he wanted us. Perhaps we’re supposed to stay here in WI…but we wanted to be open and ready for his calling.
I still very much wanted the CIO job, which during this time I learned that 270 applications had been received and they ended up choosing someone with tons more experience than I had.

So 2 possibilities down…one to go.

The interview at the church went very well…and afterwards both Kim and I felt like this was where God seemed to be leading us. There was still no salary discussion, which gave us a very uneasy feeling, but we prayed that money would not be a stumbling block.

We wrote out a list of the pros and cons about potentially making this move. We prayed specifically for each of the things on the list that made us frankly scared…money was one of the biggest concerns. We did some number crunching and came up with a bottom line salary figure we felt we would need to allow Kim to stay at home and keep us in good shape.  We wrote this number down on a piece of paper and prayed.
The night before our second visit to the church we received the church’s offer. Guess what the salary was? The exact number I had written down on the paper!

The second visit to the church really firmed up any doubts I had that this is where God wanted us. We had prayed God would show us …and he did!
I sent my acceptance letter on June 12th with a start date of July 31st. We were still a bit scared about all the unknowns yet to come, but we trusted that God, the creator of the universe, would take care of us.

We quickly prepped our house for sale…we just moved into it last September! We decided to try the FSBO route at the encouragement of a real estate agent friend who also suggested we set the price considerably above what we were thinking. We put our sign in the yard on a Saturday and that Wednesday we had a serious showing and by Saturday it was sold! AND the buyers needed in buy August 1st which is exactly when we needed out!

We were TOTALLY blown away…not only did God give us a fast sale, but he gave us way more money than we were expecting for having not lived there for even a year!
I could picture God smiling and saying, put your trust in me and watch what happens.

That same Saturday we headed for Granger to look at homes for 3 days. We again put our trust in God and prayed that he would reveal the house we should buy. We ended up getting a great house for way under what we should have paid all things considered and it was vacant so closing was not an issue…and we even got their riding lawnmower! Woohoo!

The next day at work my boss calls a meeting to plan out my last days. As we review my contract and past years work, we determine that contractually my last day of work was the last day of school which was May 30th...and everything I had worked up to now was just extra money above my contract salary! Woohoo!

Another total blessing! We gave our financial fears to the Lord and he SOOO blessed us…home sale, home purchase, extra $$!!!

And to put icing on the cake, our 5 year old who previously said many times very firmly that he would not move, last Sunday said he was ready to move and make new friends.

Is God the coolest or what!
Before my God was big…but now he’s HUGE…my God is SOOO big!
How big is your God?
God loves us SOOOO MUCH…all we have to do is put our trust in Him…and then he promises he will rock our world!

So I leave you with this:
Is there any challenge in your life right now that is large enough that you have NO hope of doing it apart from God’s help? If not, consider the possibility that you are seriously underchallenged.

Welcome Matt Metzger to the GCC IT Team

Here's a fun email I got to send out to all GCC staff today ... figured I'd share with all of you as well :-)

-----------------

Ladies and Gentlemen, boys and girls ...

Today it is my most excellent happy joy to welcome the newest member of the GCC IT Team ... Matt Metzger!  Matt joins our merry band of geeks as our new IT Project Specialist.  What’s an IT Project specialist do?  Great question!  And I’d gladly tell you, but sadly then you’d have to die.  Let’s summarize by saying Matt will be doing covert work in the cubicle beside Daryl to support behind the scenes IT and web functions.

Matt starts April 7^th and we’re sooooo excited to have him joining our team.

Here’s some insider info on Matt:

• Matt was born as a missionary kid in Haiti, but grew up as a pastor's kid in Ohio. 
  • He's from the same small town as Jeff Myers.
  • they started a Bible study together in high school, and were in a rock band together in college named “Beneath Spreading Trees”
• Matt graduated from Bethel College with a degree in Music, and enjoys playing a variety of instruments.
  • Fortunately, he discovered that he wanted to turn his hobby of computers into his career, and his study of music into his hobby."
• He met his wife, Dana, during college and they married in 2001, as full-time students.
• After graduating, they sold what little they owned and bought one-way tickets to Guadalajara, Mexico.
  • They both earned a TEFL certification and taught at a private school for one year, before returning to the States in 2004.
• Matt & Dana first got involved at GCC because they wanted to be part of a small group, and saw a Starting Point sign-up on gccwired.com.
  • After landing in a group led by Mark Waltz, and attending the Core Classes, they decided to make GCC their church home and have loved being part of this family for a little over two years.
• Matt & Dana have a 2-year-old daughter, Cora, and two high-school exchange students living with them.
• Matt is a self-described huge geek and loves:
  • researching the latest IT developments
  • experimenting with Linux
  • solving Rubik's Cubes (record: 47 seconds).
• He also likes taking road-trips and spending time outdoors with his family.

You can get more Matt via http://mattmetzger.wordpress.com or his Facebook profile http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=5622188

Here Matt is proving his recent Easter attendance … stylin’ !!

Here Matt seems to be overly enjoying a refreshing beverage … mesmerizing!

And here Matt is doing his best impression of which popular celebrity??

We’re so pumped to have Matt coming onboard!

Jason … pictures posted on facebook are fair game for all staff emails … Powell

Church IT Podcast - outsourcing

There was a great discussion yesterday on the Church IT Podcast (episode 26) about the benefits of outsourcing both IT services/apps and staff.

Since last fall I've been gathering info and seriously pondering now and then on this whole idea of outsourcing.  Several of my IT peers that I highly respect rely heavily on outsourcing ... in particular Tony Dye at Perimeter Church and David Drinnon at Second Baptist.

Yesterday Tony shared some of his philosophy on why Perimeter outsources and the benefits they've gained in doing so.  I've heard Tony's thoughts before, but each time I get new nuggets to chew on.  If you oversee IT I'd strongly recommend you take a listen. 

The discussion starts 22mins into the podcast and Tony's comments start 34mins in .. to listen head over to my blog and scroll down on the right to use the talkshoe media player.

I'll try to interview David and get his thoughts Second's outsourcing strategy in the near future as well.

IT Director Opening at NewSpring Church

Tony Morgan recently posted the following IT position opening on his blog ... if you or someone you know might be interested please contact Jennifer at the below link.

"It's been about six months since we first tried to fill this key leadership role on our team at NewSpring. We are hoping to identify an IT Director to lead our computer technology team and help design and implement technology solutions for our rapidly growing ministry. This is going to take a unique individual with a combination of leadership and technology skills. Here are some characteristics of the person we’re looking for:

• Loves Jesus and the mission and vision of NewSpring Church.
• Has the capacity to manage the church’s IT infrastructure including all network, hardware, software and help desk functions. This includes planning, purchasing, training, security and user support.
• Familiar with the challenges of managing IT functions across multiple locations.
• Has leadership and project management experience. Though this is a hands-on role, we need someone who can lead the team and drive our technology strategy for the future.
• Likely has a degree in computer science, information technology or a related field.
• At least 5 years of experience in the IT field preferably in a leadership role.
• Appropriate Microsoft certifications demonstrating capacity to oversee these critical functions.

As always, we'd prefer to find someone who is already engaged in our ministries here at NewSpring; however, for this particular role, we're also open to "outside" candidates. Is it you? Or, do you know someone who is wired for this role? If so, contact Jennifer and request an application."

Tony was a great guy to work for while he was my boss at GCC ... I mean he hired me so that right there gives him some street cred right? ;-)

 

"It's been about six months since we first tried to fill this key leadership role on our team at NewSpring. We are hoping to identify an IT Director to lead our computer technology team and help design and implement technology solutions for our rapidly growing ministry. This is going to take a unique individual with a combination of leadership and technology skills. Here are some characteristics of the person we’re looking for:

• Loves Jesus and the mission and vision of NewSpring Church.
• Has the capacity to manage the church’s IT infrastructure including all network, hardware, software and help desk functions. This includes planning, purchasing, training, security and user support.
• Familiar with the challenges of managing IT functions across multiple locations.
• Has leadership and project management experience. Though this is a hands-on role, we need someone who can lead the team and drive our technology strategy for the future.
• Likely has a degree in computer science, information technology or a related field.
• At least 5 years of experience in the IT field preferably in a leadership role.
• Appropriate Microsoft certifications demonstrating capacity to oversee these critical functions.

As always, we'd prefer to find someone who is already engaged in our ministries here at NewSpring; however, for this particular role, we're also open to "outside" candidates. Is it you? Or, do you know someone who is wired for this role? If so, contact Jennifer and request an application."

Tony was a great guy to work for while he was my boss at GCC ... I mean he hired me so that right there gives him some street cred right? ;-)

 

Openings at Sugar Creek in Houston

Via Daryl's blog ... Sugar Creek Baptist Church (host of our '07 Spring Roundtable) has the following open positions:

• Creative Media Producer
• Director of Internet Development