GORDANO VALLEY – SOCIAL MEDIA POLICY
“All new forms of communication provide opportunities to
share the Good News of Jesus Christ in the world. They
come, however, with new values. Whereas the printed
word has a certain finality of declaration about it, social
media is interactive, conversational and open-ended.
Moreover, it happens in a public, not private, space. The
Methodist Church therefore encourages the user to use
social tools as a means of engaging in an interactive
conversation with people of all faiths and none. As Gospel
people, our conversation should be ‘seasoned with salt’
(Colossians 4:6), and these guidelines aim to help us to do
so.”
Social Media Guidelines of the Methodist Church in Britain.
This Policy is based on the principles set out in the Social Media
Guidelines issued by the Methodist Church for employees of the
Methodist Council. The Gordano Valley Circuit accepts that the
following principles form good practice for Methodist Ministers, lay
employees and other office holder or those holding a representative
role in the Methodist Church:
Be credible. Be accurate, fair, thorough and transparent.
Be consistent. Encourage constructive criticism and deliberation.
Be cordial, honest and professional at all times. Be responsive. When
you gain insight, share it where appropriate.
Be integrated. Wherever possible, align online participation with
other communications.
Be a good representative of the Methodist Church. Remember that
you are an ambassador for Christ, the Church and your part of it.
Disclose your position as a member or officer of the Church, making it
clear when speaking personally. Let Galatians 5:22-26 guide your
behaviour.
Be respectful: respect confidentiality. Respect the views of others
even where you disagree.
- Participation via Social Media
You should participate online in the same way as you would with other
public forums. You take responsibility for the things you do, say or
write.
Never share personal details like home address and phone numbers
except with someone you know and trust, and if you decide to do so
then use a private message. Be aware an address can be disclosed in
many ways for example via photos or a GPS position as well as in
written form.
Always remember that participating online results in your comments
being permanently available and open to being republished in other
media. Once something is posted to a blog or other internet site, it
should be assumed to be still available even if it is later deleted from the
original site.
Stay within the legal framework and be aware that safeguarding, libel,
slander, copyright and data protection laws apply, as well as the
Constitutional Practice and Discipline (CPD) of the Methodist Church.
Confidentiality: Treat email and text messages with the same level of
care and security as written correspondence.
Be aware that self-disclosure via social media can inadvertently reach a
wider audience than intended and so become common knowledge.
Always be circumspect if there is a risk that information presented may
be misinterpreted or misunderstood.
Be aware that your participation may attract media interest in you as an
individual, so proceed with care whether you are participating in an
official or a personal capacity. If you have any doubts, take advice, but
remember that you are responsible for your online activities.
Always be aware that your membership of the Church means that
you are regarded as a representative of the faith we share.
- Use of Official Name and Logo
Any use of the “Gordano Valley Circuit” name or logo for branding or
titling pages, blogs or similar elements of social media must be approved
in writing prior to use. Requests should be made to the Circuit
Administrator admin@christchurch-clevedon.co.uk [A similar principle
applies to the use of the names of individual churches within our Circuit]
- Individual Judgment.
Even when engaging in social media for personal use, the comments of
a member of the Gordano Valley Circuit or of one of its churches may
be viewed as a reflection on the Circuit. Users should use their best
judgment when engaging in social media activities and should be on
guard against actions and discussions that could harm the interests of
our church community.
- Transparency.
Users’ social media communications are made in their personal capacity
and not on behalf of the Gordano Valley Circuit and its churches.
Statements made by members of the church community should not be
taken as expressing the formal position of the Gordano Valley Circuit or
of the Methodist Church unless the writer is specifically authorized to do
so by the Superintendent Minister.
- Copyright Laws.
Users must comply fully with copyright law when posting and uploading
materials. Any posting of materials to official Gordano Valley Circuit
social media must be limited to materials in which the copyright is
owned by the party seeking to post the information, or in which the
owner has consented to the sharing of the materials. Images and other
materials from the Gordano Valley Circuit website shall not be copied
and uploaded to other forums without the prior written consent of the
Superintendent Minister.
- Privacy.
Users of social media must comply with the Gordano Valley Privacy
Policy i.e. All users of social media within the Gordano Valley community
should take care to safeguard the privacy interests of other community
members. In particular, personal information (that is, information that
can reasonably identify a particular person, including name, phone
number, address or email address) should not be disclosed without the
prior written consent of the person identified. In cases where a user has
consented to the publication of such information, appropriate privacy
settings and levels should still be utilized.
- Mindfulness for those deployed and employed in our Churches.
Those working for the church should reflect on when to use social
networks during working hours. It is recognised that this is a
powerful and effective medium to keep in touch with friends, co-
workers and volunteers, but mindfulness of how much time is
spent in online activities set against other work priorities is vital.
This Policy should be read in conjunction with:
The 2001 Methodist Conference Report “Speaking for the Methodist
Church” http://www.methodist.org.uk/downloads/conf-speaking-for-
the-methodist-church-2001.pdf
The Methodist Church Safeguarding Policy, The Methodist Church Social
Media Policy, and The Methodist Church Social Media Guidance for Workers
which particularly sets boundaries for the use of Internet, email and texting
communication particularly for those working with young people. All these
can be found: