Electronic Communication with Youth in the Church

I had the several questions this week regarding electronic communication safety in churches.  I decided to post my responses here for comment.

If our Youth Director ,or an adult counselor, communicates with a youth using texting what can be done to assure transparency?

The first thing I recommend is to get parental permission before texting to minors.  There is one very practical reason for this.  Depending on the cell phone plan, texting can drive the bill up very quickly.  Beyond that, if you are looking for transparency, it is best for all parties to know up front what type of communications may be used.  That avoids the appearance of trying to hide something.  Generally speaking, you cannot cc someone on a text message like you can on an email.  At least that has been my experience.

Also how does one assure transparency and openness using FaceBook.

I think this one is a little easier.  Again, I would get parental permission first.  This gives you an opportunity to open a discussion with parents about Facebook, MySpace, and other social networking sites.  It might even be a good time to have a parent night and talk about safety and social networking.

Next, if I were the Pastor in the church, I would get a Facebook account too, and become online “friends” with the youth leader or counselor.  That allows you to see what is on the facebook page.  I would suggest that all communications with minors on social networking sites be done in the public space.  That way there are no secrets and you can hold one another accountable.

Finally, let me say this.  This is a good opportunity to stress to everyone involved that they should never post anything, anywhere online, that they do not want everyone to see.  Once it is online, it is out of your control.

With the use of email I assume an adult should copy another adult when communicating with a youth. Are there other rules that need to be observed?

This sounds like a good practice.  Remember though, even with all these precautions in place, there is still potential for abuse.  That is why I recommend every church have a policy that addresses these issues.  That way, everyone knows the expectations.  And the main expectation is this, “We will conduct our online communications in a way that reflects the mission of the Church and the Love of God.”

Are there any special considerations in using cell phones for communication?

If you are getting parental permission for the other forms of communication, I would include cells phones on the list.  You may want to specify the time of day calls can be made to youth.  For example, after school until 8:00 p.m.