"Safe Church" for social media

Sharon Ely Pearson writes on bulidingfaith:

As a church we have accepted the need to follow guidelines in how we conduct ourselves and our interactions with those we are called to ministry with – what has become known as “safe church practices.” Social media (aka: Facebook Twitter, YouTube and texting) also needs to be considered when determining boundaries and safe practices in ministry.

The youth coordinators in Province III have created a document offering guidelines for safe and responsible use of social media in youth ministry.

The document can be viewed here.

While Safe Church standards are hopefully not a new idea to anyone in the Episcopal Church (many Dioceses require training for all who work with children & youth, and clergy are required to be trained by canon), the quickly evolving platform of social media is the necessary new frontier for developing safe and transparent practices.

What are your thoughts on the guidelines offered by the Province III Youth Network??

Comments (2)

The Diocese of CT has "Safe Church guidelines for social media" - you can find the pdf here:

http://www.ctepiscopal.org/images/customer-files//SocialMediaGuidelinesbooklet.pdf

Rev. Kurt Huber
St. Peter's, Monroe, CT

It is a very solid document. The only addition I would offer is that the the Home Phone rule for contacting by phone or texting (not before 8 am or after 9 pm) should also include no calling or texting during school hours.

Otherwise, well done!

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