I’ll be honest, I was shocked when I first read Shayne Raynor’s article Clergy Accountability Online. Raynor, managing editor for Ministry Matters, outlines how the Kentucky Annual Conference of The United Methodist Church is requiring pastors and ordination candidates to sign a social media disclosure statement. In a time when mainline denominations are “Rethinking” how they grow new churches and recruit new leaders, why legislate rather than nurture?
According to Raynor, “The policy was implemented by the Kentucky Annual Conference and applies to ‘any and all MySpace, Facebook, or other blog and website accounts.’ (MySpace? Really?) By signing the agreement, clergy are agreeing to allow the conference to ‘examine’ the accounts. Clergy are required to add the KAC as a friend on each account, and by signing, they demonstrate an understanding that ‘any information of a questionable nature on these sites that are written and/or posted by me, could affect my status as a Candidate/Resident in the Ordination process with the Kentucky Annual Conference.’
The document goes on to say that officials will regularly check their accounts and that they will be held accountable for ‘material that would be deemed questionable in light of the Social Principles and Doctrinal Standards of the United Methodist Church or that would show lack of judgment in understanding the standards and ethics of a United Methodist clergyperson.’”
While I am very much opposed to the Kentucky Annual Conference’s approach to social media legislation, I do believe the Church has an obligation nurture healthy use of social media. The Virginia Annual Conference has also created a social media policy, but there is a vast difference in the two approaches. In Virginia, they offer guidelines that shouldn’t be considered rules or regulations, but were “created in an effort to inform the Christian community about appropriate behavior online.” In Kentucky, the regulations are cut-and-dry.
It’s my experience organizations will often opt to create strict regulation rather than take the road less traveled. The tools of mobile technology and social media are primary tools for today’s pastor and of those we hope to recruit. An investment of both sweat equity and resources go further than mandated policies.
So, how do you feel? Should clergy be required to sign social media disclosure statements?
RELATED ARTICLE: Clergy debate monitoring of social media; UMR, July 1, 2011
