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The final edition of the unofficial
e-journal of the Anglican Church of
Canada's 1995 General Synod, Ottawa
___________________________________
S y n o d N E W S l i n k
by tod maffin
friday, june 23 1995
___________________________________
t h e f i r s t w o r d
A BIT LATE, BUT...
Okay, so I'm two weeks late. I hope you'll find
that this final Synod NEWSlink edition is worth the
wait. Inside, you'll find a summary of the comments
received from you throughout the General Synod on how
the church can better use technology.
THEY GOT ME...
My not-so-subtle suggestion of a free Ecunet account
fell on deaf ears (no I wasn't seriously holding my
breath) and I finally gave in and got a Quest/Ecunet
account. I'm TOD MAFFIN on there, and tend to hang out
in the Canadian Anglican-type meetings. You'll still
find me roaming about the Anglinet BBS network,
muttering incoherantly about Squish configuration files.
NOW WHAT?
This issue represents the last mailing from the synod95
Internet mail-list. You don't need to unsubscribe
yourself, the list will simply vanish into cyberspace
never-never land. Thanks for being with us -- your
comments, notes of encouragement, and prayerful support
of all of us at General Synod made a big difference.
Please keep in touch.
YOU MEAN THAT'S *IT*?! NOW WHERE DO I GO?...
Don't worry, there's still a lot of places for you to
explore:
- If you're addicted to the daily content, please check
out Bob Chandler's Internet mailing list CANANG-L,
where discussions include recent decisions by the
General Synod, and other issues in the Canadian
church (human sexuality, new Hymn Book, BAS/BCP,
etc.) To subscribe, send e-mail to
listserv@pdomain.uwindsor.ca with the words
"subscribe canang-l your name" in the message body.
(Leave out the quote and substitute your own name.)
- The Anglinet system of BBSes links Anglicans around
North America in active message forums and file
resource libraries. The headquarters is based in
Port Moody, B.C. and you can connect to it by having
your modem dial 1-604-944-0622. Send a message to
myself or Ron Barnes to find a node close to you.
- The Anglicans Online! world wide web site, still
apparently the world's largest Internet resource for
Anglicans (brag brag brag), can be found at:
http://infomatch.com/~haibeck/anglican.html
___________________________________
r e f l e c t i o n s
I learned a lot about the church while at General Synod. And a lot
about myself at the same time.
For one, I learned that sometimes it's more beneficial to listen
than decide. Extending the limits of discussion may not change
anyone's minds, but it deepens the dialogue. Rushing to a decision
on *any* issue is probably the worst thing we can do, as much as I'd
love to push the church along on a number of fronts.
And I think we learned a lot from our First Nations members. Last
year, the Primate apologized for the Anglican Church's role in abuse
at some residential schools many years back. In Ottawa, the members
joining us from First Nations told the church quite clearly: We accept
your apology, and let's move on. Together.
It took a lot of talking. And crying. And in the end, we have a lot
of healing still on our road forward. But we have listened to each
other and that has been good.
Today, there is a sense of renewal within the church. Not a renewal
of the charismatic kind, but one of mandates with life breathed into
them. We have shaped a streamlined set of ways of working which will
help us provide the ministry the church needs to, while not becoming
an overwhelming giant of bureaucracy. "We accepted Jesus," said one
member of the First Nations during a Synod presentation,
"but we got the church."
We'll always have "the church" -- hopefully, we have brought the church
a bit closer to what it should be -- the PEOPLE. I believe we have.
___________________________________
y o u r t u r n
In the June 5 edition of Synod NEWSlink, I asked this of you:
"If you have the time, I would be encouraged to hear your
thoughts on how the church could use new technologies to
reach people outside the church or to help us inside the
church communicate better."
And you responded. In droves. Within 72 hours, more than 100 people
had sent everything from rough point-form thoughts to lengthy,
detailed research papers on the topic. And the comments are still
coming in.
It was likely the fastest national consultation in the history of
the Anglican Church of Canada (if unofficial).
It was as if a nerve had been struck. Clearly, a lot of people had
been waiting to be asked their opinions. I read each comment, and
have sorted them into topics to make it easier to digest.
Synod has directed the national Information Resources Committee to
undertake a study on how to use existing technologies to better
enable communication within, and outside of, the church. While this
summary of comments is NOT that study, I'll certainly make sure the
comments are submitted to the committee for consideration in their
work.
The main parts of this Summary of Comments Received are:
- Introduction
- Communication (Internal)
- Evangelism (External)
- Ministry and Mission
- Financial Implications
- Concerns Expressed
- Taking the Next Step
- Summary
___________________________________
introduction
The comments summarized in this report come from people who subscribed
to an unofficial, daily electronic journal following the events at the
1995 General Synod of the Anglican Church of Canada.
More than one hundred Anglicans from around Canada (and a few
scattered elsewhere in the world) responded to a call for comments on
"how the church could use new technologies to reach people outside
the church or to help us inside the church communicate better."
This document is not intended to draw conclusions -- it is only a
digest of the comments received.
___________________________________
communication (internal)
Many respondants cited the new direction of the church, coming from
the streamlined "Preparing the Way" plan adopted at Synod. One of
the overwhelming messages in that plan was for the church to use
networking more efficiently to share resources and information between
dioceses.
To that end, people responding to this call for comments all agreed
that a decentralized model would help the church better address its
responsibility to offer effective ministry, while being responsible
stewards of our financial resources.
Most agreed that this meant the church must be willing to do more than
simply accept "grass-roots participation" in the life and work of the
church, but to embrace and support it.
One of the suggestions for how to improve communication within the
church was a call for the establishment of an Internet mail list
server for each diocese, to distribute news, clergy information,
upcoming events, council/committee minutes, etc.
One parish in the Maritimes is already using such a model:
"Our parish has been on the net for six months now. We have
a page on the World Wide Web and use a listserver to
distribute parish information around the parish (and beyond)."
Some suggested such an automated e-mail distribution system might
make for an effective way of fostering Bible study groups -- the
national office could distribute the lectionary readings for each
month to subscribers so they could study the readings before church.
Many people said they already participate in prayer circles distributed
by electronic mail. They commented that, especially in the case of
urgent prayer requests, this medium would suit a prayer group well.
At the national level, a majority of respondants said they enjoyed
receiving daily updates from General Synod and believe there is an
even wider audience for such immediate reports from national committees
and consultations. A few even suggested this would be a good way to
distribute occasional messages from the Primate on special occasions.
The Anglican Journal was cited as a valuable resource within the
church. Nearly all who commented about the Journal affirmed its
role as a positive influence in the church, and suggested that it
could serve as the catalyst for two-way communication on the issues
it covers. Some people said they would appreciate the opportunity to
correspond with Journal writers (and noted that the Journal's address
on Ecunet either does not work or goes unanswered).
Some felt frustrated at having to wait more than a month for coverage
of significant events in the life of the church, and suggested the
Journal could run short "snippets" of its upcoming stories and
distribute them either by e-mail or publish them on the World Wide Web.
One diocesan newspaper (Ottawa) has already begun such a venture.
A few respondants mentioned they appreciated the "official" reports
from the church. Two comments, which were similar to the others:
"Lose the filter of the secular press...."
"There's nothing wrong with hearing the official reports of what
happens at the national level; it's refreshing to have news
in a pure form, rather than having it fed through the biases
of journalism."
Many positive comments were received about the Anglican Video
coverage of General Synod on Vision, though many had not heard about
the daily shows.
"If I hadn't heard about Synod highlight on Vision tv
through your internet service I wouldn't have tuned in.
It was wonderful to see my church on TV!"
It was noted that after people have been assembled in an
online "community," such as Anglinet, Ecunet, or an Internet
mailing list, many people thought that group could make an excellent
pool from which to gauge wide opinion.
They suggested it might give the national committees access to
immediate feedback about proposed plans or models.
"Would the primate like to know the response of all parishes
to a particular issue/question? It would be there."
Finally, some respondants from northern parishes noted that they
are often great distances from their diocesan synod office and that
electronic communication could open up a new sense of being "connected"
to Synod office staff and other parishes around the diocese.
___________________________________
evangelism (external)
Of the comments received about communicating our message to those
OUTSIDE the church, the overriding message was: "We should be doing
more to meet Christ's call to minister to people WHERE THEY ARE."
And a lot of people are in cyberspace.
Respondants to this call for comments said their experience with
online services led them to believe a lot of people are there to
talk with people, perhaps they're lonely, and many are young adults.
Two particularly memorable comments:
"Cybercommunity is one of the surest ways of wrapping in
those two boys of mine, and many disaffected teens and
young adults as well."
"We spend too much time believing that the way to reach
young people is through rap music. When I was a teenager,
my generation's rallying cry was Rock and Roll. Today,
it's the Internet. We're barking up the wrong tree."
Many expressed the opinion that part of being young includes a
search for indentity through spirituality, and that the Anglican
Church is missing a unique opportunity to offer young people a sense
of what we have to offer.
An overriding feeling among respondants was that if the Christian
community doesn't "wake up and smell the coffee," young people will
indeed find some form of spirituality anyway:
"Many of us are already in here and there is a lot of religion
to be encountered. Everything from anarchy to satanism to
fundamentalism. The Koran, the Bible, and the Tibetan Book of
the Dead are already prominent on the 'net. There's already
a great deal of religious debate producing much smoke and little
heat. What is needed is an example of faith lived out."
Many people thought the church should be proactive in delivering
information about ourselves.
"We can't just throw the door open to our churches and expect
people to walk in; we need to get out there and tell people
what Jesus can offer..."
To that end, a number of suggestions came from respondants:
- Each diocese could have a web home page with pertinent
information about the church and its work in the diocese,
including listings of area parishes and worship times;
- The church could publish, electronically, resources about
its ministries and baptism and wedding information/policy;
- The church could set up an e-mail address for people who
want to anonymously ask questions about the church, or
discuss issues of faith. Such an e-mail address would be
staffed with trained volunteers.
A lot of people mentioned the value in the Internet's anonymity.
They suggested that some people may feel safer discussing issues of
faith with a priest they know they'll never have to meet face to face.
A number of clergy said they would enjoy this kind of ministry (one
priest already receives encrypted confessions over the Internet).
One comment:
"I find it is often difficult to talk with the parish
priest(s) about personal problems, or theological questions
- everybody's busy, plus it takes a certain amount of nerve
to approach the priest, especially if you're shy or are a
member of a very large parish. I think if priests had
Internet mailing addresses that members of the congregation
could use to write them, they might be able to get to know
and help more of the congregation."
___________________________________
ministry and mission
One respondant from western Canada summed up her thoughts on
the role of electronic networking in the ministry and mission of
the church this way:
"The most common complaint that I hear about Diocesan,
Provincial and National programs and resources is "I didn't
know about it." Part of the reason for this is that the
systems currently used to disperse information are hierarchical.
Each level of the church hierarchy depends on the level above
to pass the information along.
"Unfortunately it is usually the average person in the pew
who is the last to know. By using electronic networks,
information about programs and related issues can be
circulated quickly, inexpensively and inclusively to
people at all levels of the church.
"As we "Prepare The Way" for the next paradigm of the Anglican
Community we would be remiss if we do not embrace all
available communications technologies."
Among the comments received was a suggestion that electronic
communication would make a cost-effective link between dioceses,
companion dioceses, and partners in mission. Some suggested it could
be a valuable resource for "instant communications" in response to
disasters and subsequent PWRDF response.
One person made the point that while church attendance is declining
in Canada, studies continually show that a majority of people in
society say they "have a strong spiritual sense." He suggested this
could be due, in part, to society's faster pace, leaving us all with
less time, different working schedules, and more reasons than ever to
not be able to attend every 10am Sunday.
Electronic communication could provide that link to the church, for
those unable to attend Sunday mornings. Some suggestions included
a national weekly Bible study online (distributed by e-mail) and other
such regular contacts with people.
Some parish ministry, of course, could never be replaced by the human
touch. But many respondants said they believe the church could offer
resources to assist in that "personal touch" ministry. For instance,
information could be made available for people in bereavement, to help
them understand what to expect at a funeral, what a priest will ask at
the first meeting, and perhaps offer pointers to other online resources
to help people grieving.
___________________________________
financial implications
Almost all of the respondants saw the potential of electronic
communication as a way to reduce costs. For instance:
"Printing costs and mailing costs for study manuals,
Synod circulars, and such material would be entirely
eliminated if sent electronically (leaving the user
with the option to read electronically or print out);
One person thought there was often unnecessary duplication of efforts:
"It is not infrequent that we receive two separate mailings
from our Diocesan office on the same, or succeeding days.
These obviously come from different departments, but, if
e-mail were used, and info sent during cost-effective hours
of the day, it seems to me that significant funds could be
saved, and used elsewhere."
As well, national committee work could continue in between meetings,
with members sharing reports and papers immediately, without having
to wait for Canada Post or burn up fax paper and long distance phone
charges. Some people even suggested electronic networking could,
some day, replace some face-to-face meetings, though they stated
all members would have to be online for such an arrangement to work.
Beyond the issue of saving money, some people suggested that the
church could use networking technology to actually raise money.
Some ideas:
- The Anglican Book Centre could have its catalog online
and take orders over the Internet or, at least, get
people interested in the books to order. There would
be no need to ship people a catalog, and the online
catalog could be updated instantly without printing costs;
- Diocesan initiatives (such as the Diocese of New
Westminster's "Show Your Spirit" campaign) could help
supplement their funds by selling campaign materials
such as t-shirts, posters, keychains, etc.
___________________________________
concerns expressed
Some people expressed concerns about the use of electronic networking;
most feared that the church would turn to computer communication
entirely, leaving some people feeling disconnected. Almost all
said the church should use the technology, but not base its entire
communications plan on it. It should be viewed as an available option,
not the only way of communicating.
One person said they felt that rural and northern parishes may not
be able to afford computers and modems and may be left "out of the
loop." She offered this suggested remedy:
"I'd like to see computer webs among youth groups -- perhaps
youth-group fundraisers to buy a computer for each parish,
a national youth campaign to purchase hardware for Northern,
remote, and Aboriginal churches."
Secondly, some respondands expressed a desire to see some direction
from the national church or Primate on the ethics of such communication:
"[We need] a clear statement from the National Church on the
ethics of cybercommunication, ethical guidelines for those in
positions of responsibility, and a code of conduct for users.
We may need some appeal mechanisms/disciplinary standards; at
the moment, that's entirely up to the [discussion forum
moderator], with no appeal."
Finally, a number of people commented that it may be difficult to
measure the effectiveness of the church's reach into electronic
networking.
___________________________________
taking the next step
Overall, there appeared to emerge two primary foundations of how to
next move toward implementing the call for increased networking in
the Preparing the Way plan.
1. "Whatever we do, we need to do it now."
There was a sense of urgency among the comments. Many people
said they believed the Preparing the Way plan's success rests
on the ability of the church to share existing resources better.
They said that now that the leadership structure is in place
with national committees, the church should begin building that
network of shared resources.
Many people believed the first step was for the national office
to have a useful presence online.
Several people cited the looming release of Windows 95, the
long-awaited upgrade to Microsoft Windows, already installed on
more than 100 million computers around the world. The new Windows
95 will offer immediate one-click access to the Internet and we
can expect a massive influx of people to jump online.
"It is my view that our Church cannot afford to move
slowly in its use of computer networking. It will
take time to create a national and inter-diocesan
computer networking strategy suited to our needs,
but we must seriously move ahead now and in earnest."
A number of respondants suggested that the financial resources
the church could save in implementing such a network would
easily pay for a "director of electronic resources",
whose job would be to begin the process of using electronic
networking to effect the church's call to be better stewards
of our existing resources.
2. "We should make distinct the roles of sharing of resources
and communicating among one another."
There was a sense that one of the models that should be explored
more deeply was that of a two-part system:
1. The inter-diocesan/parish sharing of resources (such as
study manuals, liturgical texts, Sunday School curriculums,
congregational development newsletters) should be placed
on an open-systems architecture such as the Internet;
2. Inter-person communication (such as online committee meetings,
online Bible studies, etc.) could be kept within the
virtual communities which have already been established,
such as the Anglinet network of BBSes, Quest/Ecunet, Internet
mailing lists, etc.
___________________________________
summary
Now that we have a firmer grasp on what's possible, perhaps it would
be appropriate to start thinking of where we should put our
priorities.
"Given limited resources, should we be looking at developing
useful applications with those dioceses that are already online?
Encouraging more dioceses? Concentrating on pumping national
stuff out there? Dedicating staff time or recruiting volunteers?
Centralising electronic information flow in-house, to
concentrate proficiency; or striving to get all staff literate?
Supporting ECUNET or BBS links or Internet?"
If you have any ideas as to how the church should priorize its work in
this medium, please send them to me with the subject header "next
step". Internet: tod@direct.ca
Anglinet: "Tod Maffin" at 33:555/100
Ecunet: TOD MAFFIN
The final words go to this contributor:
"My experience tells me that online Anglicanism can only
help the church to minister, to grow and to spread its
message -- and isn't that what the whole thing's about?"