St Michael’s Bray with Braywood Social Media & Website Policy

The following policy was agreed at the Parochial Church Council (PCC) meeting held on 13 March 2024. 

Date of next review is Spring 2026.

—-

“Gentle words are a tree of life; 
a deceitful tongue crushes the spirit.”
Proverbs 15:4 (New Living Translation)

“But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart” 
Matthew 15:18 (NRSV)

Social media is something the majority of people in our communities use, but as words and pictures, it can be used for great good, or cause great harm. It’s important to think about how the conversations we’re having can help change someone’s newsfeed for the better.

We have signed up to the Church of England Digital Charter and we encourage all in our community who use social media to do likewise.

https://www.churchofengland.org/resources/digital-charter

1. Who we are

We wish to present in all our communication, be it online, in print, or in person, a consistent view of who we are as a worshipping community to avoid misrepresenting ourselves.

• We are a church community that is traditional, liturgical, choral and eucharistic.
• We seek to be inclusive and welcoming of all.
• We seek to be friendly and though formal, not let that get in the way of being friendly.
• We seek to live out the Anglican five marks of mission

We are a community of people, worshipping in the St Michael’s building.

Though the St Michael’s building is in Bray, we also serve the wider communities of Braywick, Braywood, Holyport and Moneyrow Green, Fifield, Touchen End, Stud Green, Oakley Green and Water Oakley… Technology also allows us to serve those further afield; those who have moved away or have historical links to the church.

Jesus commissions us to be His witnesses in the world, and to demonstrate love at all times:

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:8)

“I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another.” (John 13:34)

Therefore, to the best of our abilities, we should always seek to show God to the world, by being loving and kind toward both those outside and inside our community; a people of hope, welcoming all with open hearts and open arms.

Therefore our church communications, that is anything we publicly say or do, should echo that sentiment. People see whatever we say or do, and it reflects well, or not well, on God.

2. Social Media Posts

“What does it look like to be a Christian online? Everyone’s engagement is different. Whether you’re a member of clergy using Twitter or a churchgoer replying to the comments on a blog, we all have different views, histories and areas of interest that will affect how we perceive things, and our responses to those events. The comments we make can reach thousands and even millions of people both in this country and around the world very quickly.” 

(Church of England Digital Charter)

With this in mind:

1. It is important to remember that all posts, whatever the context, should be considered public, permanent and may not always be considered in the context in which it was posted. 
2. We should use respectful and inclusive tone in all online communications. And we should always pause before posting, asking the questions ‘is this kind?’, ‘is it building people up?’ and ‘what does this say about God’? 
3. All material posted by individuals, be they regulars or visitors, are personal views whose views do not necessarily represent that of the church. It is the individual’s responsibility to make sure this is clear.
4. Those with official roles such as website or social media account administrators, wardens or clergy need to be very clear when they post to make it clear when expressing personal views. Often anyone in a position of authority is often assumed to be speaking on behalf of the church
5. We do not proactively moderate material and encourage debate and discussion with different viewpoints, but the church will remove posts felt to be inappropriate.
6. We are promoting the sense of community which is at St Michael’s. We are not trying to present something we are not, but celebrating what is there.
7. Any complaints about material should be raised to an administrator and to the wardens.

The following guidelines come from the Archbishops’ council:

• Be safe. The safety of children, young people and vulnerable adults must be maintained. If you have any concerns, ask a diocesan safeguarding adviser.
• Be respectful. Do not post or share content that is sexually explicit, inflammatory, hateful, abusive, threatening or otherwise disrespectful.
• Be kind. Treat others how you would wish to be treated and assume the best in people. If you have a criticism or critique to make, consider not just whether you would say it in person, but the tone you would use.
• Be honest. Don’t mislead people about who you are.
• Take responsibility. You are accountable for the things you do, say and write. Text and images shared can be public and permanent, even with privacy settings in place. If you’re not sure, don’t post it.
• Be a good ambassador. Personal and professional life can easily become blurred online so think before you post.
• Disagree well. Some conversations can be places of robust disagreement and it’s important we apply our values in the way we express them.
• Credit others. Acknowledge the work of others. Respect copyright and always credit where it is due. Be careful not to release sensitive or confidential information and always question the source of any content you are considering amplifying.
• Follow the rules. Abide by the terms and conditions of the various social media platforms themselves. If you see a comment that you believe breaks their policies, then please report it to the respective company.

3. Website Content

The website is the digital window on the church community, both to let those outside the community know what we do, but also as a way of communicating within the community.

Ideally anyone can easily find out the information they need about what’s on, how to find us and what they can expect when they arrive.

Therefore we aim to ensure that the following information is available:

• All services and public events should be on the website. This includes the 8am and 10am services, but generally not weddings, funerals and baptisms. This includes links for zoom meetings and pew sheets.
• Current notices, including upcoming events, special services and appeals, are available from the homepage.
• Where possible, feeds from social media accounts should be used to highlight what we as a community are involved in and doing at present.
• Details about activities that are important to our community, including Music at Bray, the Choir, Bell Ringing, Men’s Fellowship and Friends of St Michael's.
• Safeguarding Policy is available from the homepage.
• Church Policies and PCC documents.

We aim to keep all material up-to date and accurate, and will remove out of date information. Anyone spotting material needing changing should contact a website administrator, or the church office.

Pictures used should ideally be our own, to avoid copyright issues and we should use the same logos as used on other church posters, banners and leaflets.

The tone of all material should be friendly and welcoming, and reflect that we are an expression of traditional church.

We offer a good quality website and social media experience. We are “enthusiastic amateurs” offering our best at all times; this is an act of worship honouring God.

It is unfair to place the burden of maintaining material on a single person. Therefore we have several administrators, and wherever possible we encourage those responsible for activities to maintain their part of the website.

4. Privacy and Data Protection

1. We ensure that all personal information collected (such as email addresses for newsletters, or any financial information for giving) is covered by a relevant consent statement and adheres to all GDPR legislation.
2. All personal information published, such as roles and contact details, is covered by express consent from those individuals and is solely to ensure smooth running of the parish.
3. Zoom meetings are not normally recorded. Occasionally parts of the service are recorded, for professional development or checking the quality of recordings. Recordings are not retained any longer than necessary.

5. Advertising

1. The website and social media channels should have no unsolicited advertising, including local businesses and those involved in any weddings or funerals.
2. Nor should any products be endorsed other than personal responses to questions in forums.

Exceptions to this are:

• Promoting charities and good causes which we support as a church community
• Promoting events such as fayres and exhibitions to be held in the church, including highlighting who participating vendors are
• Promoting community events within the Parish
• Promoting music events and musicians associated with Music at Bray
• Promoting the Bray Spirituality Centre

6. Complaints Procedure

Though we would hope it’s never necessary to raise a complaint about something on the website or on church social media accounts, from time to time things do go wrong.

1. First contact an administrator of the platform, or the website admin email. If that doesn’t resolve the issue then please contact the vicar or a church warden.
2. If the complaint is related to a possible safeguarding issue, ONLY the Parish Safeguarding Officer should be contacted.
3. If the complaint cannot be dealt with by the parish you should contact the Oxford Diocese.
   
   Their complaint procedure is detailed here: https://www.oxford.anglican.org/complaints/

7. Policy Review

This policy should be reviewed by the PCC or standing committee at least every two years.

Changes to appendix do not need to be reviewed.

Appendix A: Current Roles

Correct as of 17/Nov/2023

Parish Safeguarding Officer and Children’s Advocate

• Natasha Teeder
  See https://www.braystmichael.co.uk/safeguarding-2/ for contact details

Website Administrators

• Richard Severn
• Andy Medlicott

Facebook Administrators

• Ainsley Swift
• Andy Giles
• Andy Medlicott