Church Website Domain & Hosting FAQ

We have partnered with Microsoft Office365 to provide all churches using their new domain with email services. We will provide info@, clerk@, and elder@... email addresses for all new domains.

Please note:

1. Cybersecurity training is mandatory for each email address as per our cybersecurity insurance requirements. Users of our email account will automatically be enrolled in cybersecurity training. Please read the “What is “cybersecurity training”, how does it work, and why is it necessary?” FAQ question for more information.
2. Use of each email address within our system is strictly governed by our Email Use Policy, which outlines the permitted purposes, responsibilities, and limitations associated with electronic communication. By maintaining this requirement, we ensure consistent standards of privacy, security.

To reinforce transparency and compliance, a copy of the Terms of Use will be sent directly to every email address created by the conference..

3. There are limitations to the amount of email addresses that we can provide. Please read the “Our church is currently using a different email service provider. How does this affect us?” FAQ question for more information.

There are many benefits from using the provided Microsoft Office 365 email services. Office 365 email provides organizations with a secure, reliable, and scalable communication platform that supports modern business needs. It offers enterprise‑grade security features such as advanced threat protection, encryption, and spam filtering to safeguard sensitive information and reduce exposure to cyber risks. Because it is cloud‑based, it ensures high availability, automatic updates, and seamless access to email, calendars, and contacts from any device.

Integrated collaboration tools like Teams, SharePoint, and OneDrive are included and enhance productivity by connecting email with broader workflows. Together, these capabilities help churches maintain efficient communication.

There are limitations on the amount of email addresses that the Ontario Conference can provide through Office 365. Due to licensing and capacity constraints, we can only accommodate an additional 3 emails per church at this time.

However, churches have the following options:

• You can use your existing domain and email provider for additional email addresses
• The Ontario Conference can point the newly registered domain to other email service providers, provided that the church meets certain criteria (such as security requirements of our cybersecurity insurance policy, compliance with the email provider’s Terms of Service, etc.). Please contact us for further information.

Please note:

1. Churches that would like to use their own email provider will have to agree to our MX Record Pointing Conditions, available on the email requisition form
2. While having Office365 as the email provider gives great credibility to your church’s email and domain, it is still a domain that will need to build up its sending history/behaviour with spam filters, so a cautious approach will need to be taken (no bulk email over 2000, no spam content, etc) until a positive reputation is built.
3. The 3 additional emails are contingent on Microsoft’s email license availability. If at any time Microsoft reduces the number of email licenses that the Ontario Conference can use, the 3 additional emails may be revoked (The info@, clerk@, and elder@... email addresses are guaranteed for future availability)

Creating a large number of email accounts is not recommended. Each email address introduces administrative overhead, security responsibilities, and potential exposure to cyber threats. Before creating or maintaining a high volume of accounts, churches should carefully consider the following:

• Do you have a formal Acceptable Use Policy (AUP)?
  • AUPs must clearly define what users can and cannot do with church‑issued email accounts.
  • Policies should be reviewed and updated regularly to reflect new threats, new technologies, and changes in church operations.
• Do you provide cybersecurity training for every user?
  • Each account holder should understand phishing, password hygiene, safe attachment handling, and how to recognize suspicious activity.
  • Training must be ongoing, not one‑time. Threats evolve constantly.
  • Churches must track who has completed training and ensure compliance.
• Are all email accounts properly secured?
  • Strong passwords and mandatory multi‑factor authentication (MFA) should be required for every account.
  • Accounts should be monitored for unusual activity.
  • Old, unused, or abandoned accounts should be disabled or deleted promptly.
• More accounts result in a larger attack surface
  • Every additional email address is another potential entry point for attackers. Even one compromised account can lead to data breaches, impersonation, financial fraud, or reputational damage.
• More accounts lead to more administrative burden
  • Password resets, access reviews, onboarding/offboarding, policy enforcement, and security monitoring all scale with the number of accounts. Churches often underestimate the workload. Dormant accounts are rarely monitored, rarely updated, and often forgotten, making them prime targets for attackers.
• Email accounts imply responsibility
  • If the church issues an account, the church is responsible for its security, compliance, and proper use. This responsibility grows exponentially with account volume.

• • Advanced Custom Fields (Add and manage custom fields across your site for more flexible content structures)

Cybersecurity training equips individuals with the knowledge and awareness needed to recognize and respond to modern digital threats, significantly reducing the likelihood of human‑related security incidents. By strengthening understanding of phishing, social engineering, and proper data‑handling practices, training helps build a more resilient security posture and ensures that we can act quickly and appropriately when issues arise. It also supports compliance with our cybersecurity insurance requirements, and ultimately contributes to safeguarding sensitive information.

NINJIO is a cybersecurity awareness training platform that we use at the Ontario Conference to help users recognize and protect themselves against common online threats, including phishing, ransomware, and social engineering. Through short, engaging, animated videos based on real-world cyber incidents, NINJIO makes cybersecurity education accessible and easy to understand. The platform helps users strengthen their security culture by equipping users with the knowledge and skills to make safer decisions online.

Any email account created by the Ontario Conference will automatically be enrolled in NINJIO cybersecurity training. Churches using their own email provider must submit a list of email addresses their church uses, while also providing updates on any email address changes the church makes in the future.

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Any assistance needed for email addresses or any requests for DNS changes (outside of MX record requests) should be sent to “support@adventistontario.org”. Our regular response time is 24-48 hours within the working week of Monday-Thursday.

Please note that the initial setup and onboarding period will be very busy and we may need more time to process requests during that period. We thank you in advance for your patience.

We would be happy to answer any questions that you may have.

If you have any questions related to branding or domain name standardization, please contact communcations@adventistontario.org or emartin@adventistontario.org.

If you have any technical questions, please contact support@adventistontario.org.