Stockton Baptist Church is a big organisation.
Think of all the ministries, and the volunteers working in them. Think of how many lives we’re connected to. Think how many people are in our building on Sundays and through the week. Where does the paperwork for all of these ministries live?
We have made the move to Microsoft 365 - this will be the home for our data and our email.
The following pages will take you through how to access and use our Microsoft services.
Microsoft 365 -
secure email and file storage
Microsoft have moved all their software and online services under their “Microsoft 365” brand. They very generously allow nonprofit organisations to use some of their software and services free of charge.
SBC can have, free of charge:
10x “Business Premium” licenses which allow us to install Office programs (Word, Excel etc) on computers, and email, secured by ‘two-factor authentication’ - these are assigned to SBC staff and ministers;
As many “Business Basic” licenses as we need, so long as they are used by ‘employees’ (so volunteers who serve in a ministry for SBC). These licenses provide web-based versions of Office programs and email, secured by ‘two-factor authentication’ (see explanation video).
These licenses also give us access to some of Microsoft’s online services:
SharePoint
Teams
OneDrive
Why is it important to use a single email provider?
Imagine you’re sending email about ‘church business’. It could be about a vulnerable individual, an asylum case, the Charity Commission, or “Personally-Identifiable Data”. We, as an organisation, need to be careful with this data. In some cases, we could be criminally liable if found to be negligent.
When we all use personal email addresses, this data is being sent across the internet between email providers. You might be sending it to someone who uses the password “test123” for their email account. You might have good security, but they might not!
When we all use Microsoft 365 email:
Email sent between staff never leaves Microsoft’s email servers - it isn’t “out in the wild”;
All accounts will have suitably long and complex passwords;
All accounts will be secured using “two-factor authentication” (click here for a great explanation).
What is “SharePoint” and “OneDrive”?
OneDrive is Microsoft’s personal online (“cloud”) document storage system. If you’ve ever used Apple’s iCloud system, Google Drive, or Dropbox, then you’ll find OneDrive familiar. It creates a folder on your computer which is sync’d with your personal OneDrive space online - if you copy a file into your OneDrive folder, it gets copied online. You can then be assured that the file is stored safely (in case your computer fails), and you can share that file by emailing a link to anyone, inside or outside SBC.
SharePoint is similar, but is used by companies and organisations to store corporate data in one central location. Access to folders is locked down so only those with the requirement to access a folder will see it. It’s like a virtual file server, a filing cabinet, where we can ALL save our files as we serve the Lord through our church.
SharePoint is hugely important for church.
Our church is a busy place, with many ministries serving people in sometimes very sensitive situations.
Information Management is, according to the AIIM, “a corporate responsibility that needs to be addressed and followed from the uppermost senior levels of management to the front line worker.”
We handle information which is sometimes sensitive. It’s sometimes personal. We need to remember that it isn’t ours to look after.
We gather, store, and pass on information on behalf of SBC as an organisation as we serve. Legal action could be taken against SBC if it were found that information had been mis-handled. We therefore need to entrust that data to the system - SharePoint - which has been put in place for us.
SharePoint is the secure home for all the files which, until now, have been saved on computers at home, on USB sticks, and in personal cloud storage areas. Gathering and securing all these files allows SBC to preserve it, and provide ongoing access to it after we leave office. It is also a necessary step towards us showing that we handle information responsibly in the digital age.