Being a Digital Citizen and a Pastor

Long gone are the days when what a pastor said was just between them and the few that listen to the sermon. As a pastor there are more issues that I need to be concerned with when it comes to the digital world. While I am not a politician or a celebrity, I am in the public’s eye and have the potential to influence a great group of people. This makes my need to be more conscientious of what I write or post that much greater. I first realized this when an email I wrote to one of my parishioners made it out of the intended receiver, out of the church, out of the state, out of the country, and into the world. All of the sudden I began to receive replies from people that I didn’t know and in languages that I could not understand. For this reason, when I train fellow pastors I make it a point to talk about the “6 Rules for Pastors Before Posting That Blog” (http://www.ethicsdaily.com/6-rules-for-pastors-before-posting-that-blog-cms-21109). This wonderful tool condenses being a digital citizen pastor into six simple questions to ask yourself before you send an email or post. One of my favorites is, “Have others spoken out who are more credible or qualified than I am?” In a world where Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, and other such means of making sure that our voice is out there are abundant, it is easy to fall into the “blogger’s syndrome.” Suddenly we feel that every issue and topic requires our two cents worth. When, in reality, there are better people to address certain issues or topics than Rev. Knowitall. This lesson on being a pastor in the digital world can ensure that what we say/write will be worthy of the reputation that we are trying to maintain, while also ensuring that the religion/denomination we represent is not tarnished by what one ignorant person.