In 1986, Nick and Grace Nicholaou took a step that would shape the future of church technology support.
Responding to God’s calling, they left promising careers and entered full-time ministry by founding MBS.
At the time, the concept was simple: churches and ministries have unique technology needs and deserve a partner that understands ministry, not just technology.
Forty years later, that conviction remains unchanged.
Technology has transformed dramatically since 1986. We’ve gone from floppy disks to cloud computing, from dial-up internet to gigabit fiber, and from “Have you tried turning it off and on again?” to “Have you tried asking AI?” Along the way, one thing has remained constant: ministries deserve technology support that serves their mission.
That philosophy is what still makes MBS different.
Built exclusively for ministry
Most technology providers serve businesses of every type. Churches are simply one category among many. MBS was built with a different purpose. Our team understands Sunday mornings, volunteer staff, worship technology, livestreams, ministry budgets, and the unique experience of discovering that the Wi-Fi has died approximately three seconds before service starts.
When a church calls, we’re not comparing its needs to those of a law firm, manufacturing company, or insurance agency. We understand ministry because ministry is all we do.
After 40 years, we still believe that’s a meaningful difference.
A different approach to IT support
Many organizations assume all IT providers operate in roughly the same way. In reality, the business models can be radically different.
At MBS, we’ve intentionally built our approach around the realities of ministry.
More ministry, less IT spending
Every dollar a ministry spends on technology is a dollar that cannot be used elsewhere in its mission. Most managed service providers charge a monthly fee for every computer, server and device they manage. In some environments, that can make sense. In ministry, however, those costs add up quickly.
MBS chose a different path. Rather than charging ministries simply because a device exists, we bill for the time we spend serving them. We monitor systems and stand ready to help, but clients pay when we are actively engaged in solving problems and providing support.
The result is often significant savings that can be redirected
toward ministry. After all, if a church has to choose between funding ministry and funding an invoice because someone counted its printers, we’d rather see the resources go toward ministry.
Our engineers answer the phone
If you’ve ever called a large support organization, you’ve probably experienced the ritual.
“Press 1 for support.”
“Press 2 for billing.”
“Press 3 if you’ve forgotten why you called.” Eventually you reach someone and spend the first 10 minutes explaining what a router is.
At MBS, our engineers answer the phone.
When our clients call, they reach people who already speak the language.
Ministry doesn’t stop on weekends
For most businesses, weekends are quiet. For churches, weekends are game day. The sermon is ready. Volunteers are arriving. The coffee is brewing. The livestream is scheduled. Everything is going according to plan right up until something decides it isn’t.
Many support providers charge premium rates for weekend assistance.
We don’t. Whether help is needed on a Tuesday afternoon or 10 minutes before the first service on Sunday morning, our rates remain the same.
We’ve always believed churches should be able to focus on ministry rather than wondering whether every support call is running up a bigger bill simply because it’s Sunday.
Relationships over contracts
Long-term contracts are common in the technology industry.
Some providers lock customers into agreements that last years. Sometimes those contracts survive longer than the technology they were written to support.
At MBS, we prefer a different approach. Most of our services are offered month-to-month or quarter-to-quarter because we believe trust should be continuously earned.
We don’t want ministries to stay because they have to; we want them to stay because they want to. And if another provider can genuinely serve a ministry better, we’ll help make that transition as smooth as possible. That’s probably not something you’ll find in many business-school textbooks, but ministry has always been our mission before it has been our business.
Stewardship still matters
In recent years, price increases have seemed almost inevitable. Utilities rise. Insurance rises. Software subscriptions rise. At this point, many people have probably received a price increase notice from their toaster.
While costs have certainly increased, MBS has worked hard to improve efficiency and control expenses so that we can continue offering affordable services to ministries.
We understand that every dollar entrusted to a church represents someone’s faithful giving. Stewardship isn’t merely a value we encourage our clients to practice — it’s one we strive to practice ourselves.
Looking forward
Forty years is a remarkable milestone, but it isn’t ultimately about longevity. It’s about faithfulness. What began with Nick and Grace Nicholaou answering God’s call has grown into a ministry that serves churches and ministries around the world. The technology has changed. The threats have changed. The tools have changed. Through it all, our mission has remained the same: to serve those who serve the King.
As we celebrate 40 years of ministry, we remain grateful for God’s faithfulness, thankful for the churches and ministries that have entrusted us with their technology needs, and committed to continuing that work for years to come.
Because technology is important.
But ministry is why we’re here.
Jonathan Smith is the president of MBS and the Chief Technology Officer at Faith Ministries in Lafayette, Ind. He is an author and frequent conference speaker. Follow him on X @JonathanESmith
