Reverend Alex Norris was very interesting to listen to because I had never thought much of the role that social media plays in religion. Although I am aware of the move to online services because of the pandemic, I had never thought about the potential effects that this move could have on the church. Alex is a priest for the Church of England and works on their digital team. This surprised me a bit; I plead guilty to the assumption that Christian priests are solely speakers in a pulpit who read the Bible religiously, ready to spew their knowledge and insight on those willing to listen. However, Alex explained how his role as a priest on the digital media team included much more than what we see from the outside.
Alex worked in studio management and production in the advertising industry before becoming a priest. He has extensive experience in media (although mainly in print media). However, he explained that he had always wanted to become a priest, and his long process began the same as any other person interested in priesthood. After the required discernment and selection process, Alex officially became a priest and the direction in which his work went changed immensely.
Alex previously worked in the creative talent side of advertising; now he has many different tasks in the Church of England. Priesthood by itself requires the planning of different events, such as weddings, funerals, baptisms and services, in addition to constant community outreach and volunteering. The latter part of these responsibilities is a large aspect of the Church, as Alex listed out the numbers of food banks, lunch clubs, night shelters, and other spaces owned by them. Then, on top of these commitments, Alex helps to ensure that the Church’s online channels, websites, social media and other services are constantly updated and checked. With technology a constant in today’s world, social media and online services provide a form of contact with the church throughout the day.
I was surprised at the work that the Church puts into their online channels, especially with the push to return to in-person services.They have communications specialists in each district and manage their services 365 days a year. That being said, the Church are owners of 12 billion pounds of funding for their services, almost all of which is put back into the community. Therefore, the funding received necessitates the online focus. They also play a large role in governmental aspects of England; the Queen is head of the Church and 26 Bishops make up the Lord’s Spiritual in the House of Lords. Therefore, the extent to which the Church of England’s influence over mass audiences is difficult to measure.
However, despite all the promising aspects of the Church of England, I was saddened to hear that same-sex marriage ceremonies are not allowed inside of the church. For what is seemingly a progressive religion in terms of their women priests, this brings them a large step backwards and shames a certain part of the community. As an industry (if you can call religion that) who focuses on love and betterment of society, it is discouraging to see them isolate a portion of their audience in which they hope to reach on a weekly basis.
On another note, however, I was intrigued to hear about Alex’s perspective on digital media. As he works in the field, I was extremely surprised to hear his belief that it is detrimental to society, and the church in general. However, the more he talked, the more I understood. Online services do not bring about the same sense of community in the church as attending services in person do. Additionally, zoom calls and connections made online are less concrete than those made face-to-face. Therefore, despite the large reach that mass media in the Church allows for, it is neglecting an area of religion that is crucial for people. The love and outreach that religion calls for is not plausible to the same extent without people in attendance to talk to and build relationships with. Alex, a priest who also works on the online side, is able to see this first-hand and I was impressed by his honesty and insight.
I think the Church of England does some great things for this country with room for much needed improvement. However, the need for interpersonal relationships is undermined by the ease of an online presence. With mass media prevalent in society, especially since the pandemic, online channels are necessary but may have unintended consequences.
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