The #1 Free Security Tool Your Church Must Use (And It's Not Antivirus)
Protect your church with MFA. It's a free security code on your phone that blocks hackers from your email, giving, and bank accounts. Turn it on today.
Mission Guard Team
If you only do one thing to protect your church's email, donor data, and social media accounts, this is it. It's 100% free, easy to set up, and stops the vast majority of common attacks.
Most of your church's critical accounts—your email, your online giving platform, your bank account—are protected by just one thing: a password.
The problem is that passwords can be guessed, stolen in a data breach, or tricked out of a volunteer (like we saw in our last article). If a scammer gets that one password, they're in. They can access your donor lists, send fake emails from the pastor, or try to access your finances.
We need a second layer of protection. Thankfully, the best one is built-in and free.
What Is It? Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)
It has a few names, like "Two-Factor Authentication" (2FA) or "2-Step Verification," but it's all the same simple concept.
Let's use a simple analogy.
Think of your church building. Your password is the key to the front door. Anyone who finds, steals, or copies that key can get right in.
MFA is the alarm code you have to punch in after you use the key.
A thief might steal your key, but they almost certainly don't know the alarm code. Having both makes you exponentially safer.
How Does It Work?
It's much simpler than it sounds. It usually works in one of two main ways:
- The 6-Digit Code (Most Common): After you type your password, the service sends a temporary 6-digit code to your phone. This can be via a text message or a free app (like Google Authenticator or Microsoft Authenticator). You just type in that code. That's it!
