MinistryCentral Europe
Purpose of This Guide
This document is the primary onboarding entry point for individuals granted Platform Administrator or Technical Steward authority within MinistryCentral Europe.
It defines:
- The nature of platform authority
- The scope of responsibility
- The expectations attached to elevated access
- The governance framework that constrains technical power
This guide must be read and acknowledged before administrator access is granted.
Role Overview: Platform Administrator / Technical Steward
Platform Administrators are custodians of the technical integrity of MinistryCentral Europe.
You are entrusted with access that can:
- Affect all users
- Alter system behavior
- Introduce or prevent technical debt
- Enable or undermine stability
This role exists to protect the system, not to customize it.
Core Principle (Non-Negotiable)
Stability, recoverability, and clarity take precedence over speed, convenience, or experimentation.
Technical authority is centralized by design.
What You Own
As a Platform Administrator, you own:
- Hosting environment and server access
- WordPress core management
- Plugin installation, updates, and removal
- Theme management
- Global CSS and styling infrastructure
- Elementor global configuration
- LearnDash technical configuration
- Security controls
- Backup and recovery procedures
- Performance and reliability
You are accountable for system health over time.
What You Do NOT Own
You do not own:
- Editorial decisions
- Content authority
- Course pedagogy
- Visual experimentation
- One-off fixes for convenience
- Unreviewed customization
- “Temporary” technical workarounds
Platform authority does not override governance.
Required Reading (Mandatory)
Before access is granted, you must read and understand:
- Platform & Technical Governance Guide
- Governance & Guardrails
- Change Management Rules
- Elementor Do / Don’t Guide
- Template & Structure Strategy
- Status Lifecycle & Canonical Rules
These documents define your boundaries.
Change Discipline (Critical)
All technical changes must be:
- Intentional
- Documented
- Reversible
Before acting, ask:
- Is this change necessary?
- Is it globally safe?
- Is there a rollback plan?
- Is this the correct layer to fix the problem?
If uncertain → pause and escalate.
Access & Permissions
- Admin access is granted only when required
- Access is reviewed periodically
- Shared credentials are forbidden
- Access is revoked when role changes
Least privilege is the default.
Backups & Recovery Responsibility
You are responsible for ensuring that:
- Backups exist
- Backups are verified
- Recovery is possible within reasonable time
- Backups are not assumed to work without testing
Recovery matters more than uptime promises.
Security Expectations
- Strong authentication practices
- Prompt patching of vulnerabilities
- Immediate escalation of incidents
- No silent security changes
Security failures are escalated immediately, not quietly fixed.
Relationship to Other Roles
- You enable the Web Platform Lead
- You protect Content Editors from structural risk
- You support Course and Instructor Coordinators indirectly
- You do not bypass governance to “help”
Your restraint is part of your value.
Acknowledgement & Activation
Before administrator access is granted, you must formally acknowledge:
- Understanding of platform authority limits
- Acceptance of governance constraints
- Commitment to system stability and recoverability
- Agreement to escalate uncertainty rather than improvise
Access is granted after acknowledgement, not before.
Optional (Recommended)
🎥 Loom: “What platform authority actually means”
🎥 Loom: “How we avoid technical debt by design”
These are for orientation, not instruction.
Summary
- You are a steward, not an owner
- Authority is paired with restraint
- Centralization protects the mission
- Documentation governs decisions
- Stability enables ministry at scale