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 The Electronic Word
First there was the spoken word, then the written word; now the Church is communicating electronically.
The Anglican Diocese of New Westminster is the first diocese in North America to have an official diocesan email system, that connects parishes, priests, and people in an electronic network. Different from a website, NWnet, the email system used by the Diocese of New Westminster (the Lower Mainland and Sunshine Coast) allows all mail from the Diocesan office to be sent easily, immediately, and for free to every priest and every parish who connects to the system.
NWnet was developed by Fr.Ron Barnes, the parish priest of St.John the Apostle Anglican Church, Port Moody. Using First Class software from Centrinity, a Canadian company from Markham, Ontario, the diocesan email system allows clergy and people to share information on all aspects of diocesan business and life. Out of 84 unique Conferences on NWnet, the Conferences on Evangelism, Stewardship, Essentials, Ethics, SIA, Parish Notices, Outreach, Diocesan Info, Sermonshop, Anglican News, Anglican Chat, and Clergy Mailing are most popular.
Free Internet email is a bonus. But the best of NWnet is that it allows comments and response from all its users. Everyone is equal on the system, and everyone can read, copy, print, or reply to any public note. Think of the chance to discuss the faith, respond to diocesan concerns, or learn of new ideas in the Anglican Communion.
The Diocesan connections even by themselves are terrific; but NWnet also connects to other First Class email systems from the Diocese of BC, the Diocese of Canberra, and the Diocese of Uruguay. These are just the first of many connections to all Anglican dioceses around the world.
At the 1998 Lambeth Conference, the 800 Anglican Bishops from around the world meeting at Canterbury, England this summer, will have hands on experience with a FirstClass email system that will connect every Bishop together in an electronic messaging system, and connect most Bishops to their home diocese, wherever that is in the world. This worldwide network is called IAIN, the Inter Anglican Information Networks, and it is operated under the leadership of Quest, the worldwide Anglican Communication Committee initiated by the 1988 Lambeth Conference.
The goal of IAIN (working under Quest) is to connect every diocese in the world, allowing Anglican leadership to connect and share information, from wherever they are: easily, instantly, and free. Why should the Church of Jesus Christ not use every available kind of contemporary communication techniques?
Down through the centuries, religion has pioneered many forms of communication. The ancient Egyptian priests created hieroglyphics, and in so doing, developed a writing system that allowed them to control information in the ancient world. In Old Testament times, the Jewish priests controlled the writing and interpreting of the scriptures, giving them control of the country’s information system. Then, at the fullness of time, God sent His Son into the world as the Word of God --- God communicating to us through His Son Jesus, bringing the information of forgiveness and new life.
Communication has always been at the centre of the life of the Church. In the early days of the Church, Epistles (important letters written by Bishops in the early Church) were carried from diocese to parish by Deacons. Later with the rise of Benedictine monasticism, monks prayed and hand copied books, thus creating vast libraries of written wisdom, libraries that preserved knowledge through the dark centuries and into our day. With Gutenburg’s invention of moveable type, printing became available for everyone, and yet for years, the Bible and other religious books and tracts were the most common items printed. For centuries, the Church remained at the centre of information communication. The Church founded schools, libraries, and universities to store and communicate information. Even Sunday Schools were designed by the Church to communicate information about Jesus and about His world to the young. It was not until we reached the 20th century that the Church lost its
leadership in communication.
The reasons for the church's loss of leadership in communications are many; the main reasons seem to be a change from "verbal to visual", "the cost of technology" and "the failure of church leadership to seize the initiative".
Until the present century, communication had been primarily "verbal". Books, letters, and sermons served as the backbone of communication for the Church. But in this century, communication moved to the "visual", to the film clip, the TV spot, and the picture on the internet. The Church has continued to rely on the "sermon" and the "printed page" to communicate the Gospel. The world no longer responds with much interest to the spoken word, but instead prefers the "visual" in magazines, TV, videos, or the world wide web. Those churches who use the visual in their sacraments, the ceremony in the liturgy, the colourful or the dramatic in worship stand a better chance of communicating to the modern world than those who continue to rely on sermons alone.
The "cost of technology" can be a barrier as well. There is no doubt that technology costs money; it always has. As the costs of maintaining buildings and ministries rose, the available cash for upgrading communications grew less. The laity, who more and more control church actions by giving or withholding funds, could see no advantage in electronic communication, whether through radio, TV, or email. Laity were more concerned with maintaining buildings, paying for clergy or missionaries, feeding the hungry, or just upholding the status quo, and could see no future for the church in computers or email. The hierarchy, either Bishops, presbyteries, or denominational committees, were not prepared to be prophetic in matters of communication. New technology was neither understood nor desired. Though business, schools, and governments could see the cost savings and communication advantages down the road --- the church could not --- and is now only beginning to scramble to catch
up. Computers can be found on the desk of almost every church leader in every denomination. Church leaders in third world areas are moving as fast as possible into the computer age. It is now only necessary to network these computers together, to create an instant world wide network of Christian information sharing.
Imagine the results when the Church again regains leadership in communications? Imagine when every priest or pastor, every parish, every church leader, every key lay person, every church office, every pastoral group, every theological college, every monastery, every missionary group, is online, and can share information instantly, dynamically, and virtually for free? By connecting parishes into intranets, and by gatewaying each of these intranets through the internet, the Church can begin to share vital new and exciting information at the grass roots level. Hierarchical thinking will be bypassed with ease. Time and distance will cease to have meaning. A parish in Aklavik can share information or concerns with a church group in New Zealand, South Africa, or Uruguay, or all of them at the same time --- instantly. Laity can have access to the same information, sermon notes, or Bible scholarship as the clergy. Theological students can access seminary libraries around the world, from the
convenience of their own home computer, wherever in the world that might be. Lay people could register for and take courses, write theological essays, even write exams or consult with faculty from every Christian seminary in the world, from the convenience of their own home. Study Groups might meet every evening for sharing and biblical exposition, yet never actually meet face to face. Members might be one block or 3000 miles away, yet each would be there for each other in a private email Conference. Theologians might share papers and ideas with colleagues around the world, and dialogue daily with Christians from other denominations, without the expense of gathering in one centre, or travelling great distances. Books could be "printed" online on websites, bypassing publishers and booksellers, yet be sold by the authors for a fraction of the usual cost, using electronic cash. Religious magazines and newspapers might be published online, and read by millions around the
world, instead of thousands who can afford the subscription costs and the postage. Information about ethical or religious challenges might be spread around the world in minutes, instead of months, and decisions could be made by church leaders within hours, no matter where they happened to be at the time. The list of possibilities for the Church to again become a leader in communication seems endless.
Will it all happen? Certainly it will. In fact, it already has started. At the moment, there are 13 Dioceses with official email systems, connecting their parishes, priests and key lay people. And within ten years, it is likely that many of the 130 diocese in North America will have private email networks, and these systems will gateway with each other. The rest of the Anglican world will not be far behind. Other denominations are already marching into the breach. The Roman Catholics already have networked parishes together in several dioceses. The Presbyterian Church USA, with its sponsorship of Ecunet, is already ahead of most denominations in the US, but others cannot be far behind. Even the multitude of Independent churches will be networked together, sharing information and enthusiasm, and this sharing should increase their common concerns and ecumenical endeavours.
It will cost time and money to catch up; the Church will need to make use of available expertise. Consultants in Electronic Communication for the Church already exist, but the Church needs to be prepared to pay for their expertise, not expect it for free. For the Church, email communication may look like a new field, but once the hesitant leaders of church groups decide to "get their feet wet", it is only a matter of time before the Good News of the Gospel and the Spirituality of Christ's Holy Church is being communicated electronically all around the world.
From email to website, from intranets to the internet, the way today is open wide for the Church of Jesus Christ to regain its leadership in communication. Have we not heard God the Holy Spirit urging us to use all of His creation for His work in the world? The world is waiting for the Word --- the electronic Word is ready and able.
[The above document was written for BC Christian News, Feb 17, 1998, and revised October 2006.]
© Fr.Ron Barnes
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