New Kingdom Builders
Building software for the Kingdom
What is New Kingdom Builders about?
We are builders. That is why we chose the name New Kingdom Builders. Another term for ourselves might be craftsmen or artisans. We focus on making things, specifically software that when executed does great things. Yes, there is design first, but the end result is always something that we make.Christianity has always been about building/crafting. That is part of what it means to be made in the image of God. We created this company as a way to join the effort to create great things for the Kingdom of Christ. There is great joy in using the creativity that our Lord has given us and we know that it also brings him glory.Much of our software careers have been spent in the commercial space, learning, improving our craft, and growing resources as God has blessed us. We sought the Lord for direction and wisdom on how to best use the talents and resources He has blessed us with in this phase of our lives. To be honest, starting a company was the furthest idea in our minds . But retirement was just not an option because we felt that we had a mission to fulfill. That mission turned into a company. So, let’s go!
How we build
We make use of technology to build things. Just like most things, technology can be used for evil or for good. We use technology to build good things.Software can be great for creating solutions but we have been doing this long enough to know that throwing technology at a problem does not ensure success. In fact, most software projects fail.Our approach is to create amazing apps but at the same time keep them as simple as possible. In fact, the simplicity is usually what makes apps great. We want to build products that are intuitive and have exactly the features that are needed without features that make the entire application more difficult and distracting. We know the feeling when you install a new app and the first screen is so confusing that you do not know where to start. That is not what we plan to do.
Who we are
We are Kurt and Kent Symanzik. Two brothers who grew up on an amazing strawberry farm in Michigan. Our parents modeled for us the entrepreneur spirit that is so alive in this great country. There are not many people who can handle having the entire income for the year come in 3-4 weeks in June. Our parents had many sleepless nights fighting frost with irrigation throughout the night to protect their crop. It took amazing fortitude and innovation to run a successful strawberry farm which we did not really appreciate until much later. If a machine did not exist to implement what needed to be done in the strawberry fields our dad would design and build it himself. Our parents had the grit and determination to make a good living from farming. That is not easy. Just ask any farmer.
Kent
I am Kent Symanzik, married for 34 awesome years to my lovely wife Anne. We have 2 children who are both in their 20’s. We have attended and are very active in an Evangelical Presbyterian Church for the past 24 years.I became a believer in Jesus Christ as a teen after non-stop preaching from my brother Kurt. Graduated from Taylor University with a B.S. in Computer Science in 1989. Living in Michigan I have worked in some capacity for all 3 auto companies as a software developer.In the mid 90’s, while working at Chrysler Financial I had the privilege of meeting Steve Jobs. We were using his NextStep platform to develop financial apps in Objective-C and he stopped in to visit our team on his way to meet with Lee Iacocca.In 2011, I bought my wife an iPhone and became curious about how the apps were built. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the new Apple was really an extension of the NextStep platform that I had worked on years earlier. I determined at that time to focus on native mobile apps and published my first app that same year.In 2015, my kids were playing on homeschool basketball teams and I became frustrated trying to get video of them making a basket. It seemed that just when I would stop recording they would finally score. So, I created AfterCam which is an app which enables you to capture video after it happens. The app enables you to wait until your child makes the basket before deciding to save the last 5, 10, 20 seconds of video to your photo library.Since, then I have continued to work in the mobile app space and have expanded my capabilities to use the latest cross-platform approaches. Currently, my main area of expertise and tech stack of choice is Flutter.
Kurt
I am Kurt Symanzik and have been married to my wonderful wife for 34 years as well. We have 4 children ranging in ages from 30 to 17.I accepted Christ as a teen after picking up my Bible and reading. I attended Taylor University and received a B.A. in Biblical Literature in 1987. In the early 90’s I taught myself to program computers and started my career as a professional software engineer.As the years passed I found myself serving as deacon and later elder at our local church. I enjoyed teaching many adult and children Sunday School classes and organized a small group ministry.In 2006 we moved to the Philippines for 12 years to serve as missionaries with Wycliffe Bible Translators and later with LightSys Technological Services, both Christian mission organizations. With Wycliffe I used my software engineering skills to help design and develop a highly secure collaboration platform for missionaries across mission organizations throughout Asia.For LightSys I created a custom electronic medical records system for Christian maternity clinics serving the marginalized and poor that is still used in the Philippines to this day. The project required a custom web application that ran 24/7 even when there was no power, was affordable, and highly secure without requiring Internet access. Using IoT devices, I designed and implemented a system with a total server hardware cost of under $300 that ran on batteries when the power went out. It currently supports dozens of staff using tablets, phones, laptops, and desktops to access the web application allowing staff to monitor a pregnancy from the beginning pregnancy through delivery and through postpartum care. Each year over 20,000 prenatal exams and 2,000 babies are delivered using this software which is helping to bring high quality maternity care to those who cannot afford care otherwise.In 2018 we moved back to Michigan from the Philippines where I continued my career as a software engineer including the roles of team lead and staff software engineer. In 2024 my wife and I became a licensed ministers with the Brethren in Christ denomination and we currently serve as volunteer associate pastors of our local church.
What we plan to build
We plan to build a Bible app. You might be thinking, why another Bible app? There are already so many. We realize that and have even jokingly named our prototype YABA (Yet another Bible app).Here are some reasons why:- Our skills are well suited for it- Wise use of technology can build up of the body of Christ- Nothing is more important than the Word of God- We have new ideas to try- A solid foundation of a Bible app can lead to other very helpful apps