Thursday, June 17, 2021

WCC NEWS: WCC communication highlighted in eBook “Revisiting the Distanced Church”

The ways in which the World Council of Churches (WCC) fellowship drew closer during COVID-19 are highlighted in the newly published eBook “Revisiting the Distanced Church.” 

Published by the Network for New Media, Religion and Digital Culture Studies, the book is a review of the ways that faith communities have engaged with and through technology
Stewards in Arusha, Tanzania 2018. Photo: Albin Hillert/WCC
17 June 2021

The collection is edited by Dr Heidi A. Campbell, professor of communication at Texas A&M University and director of the Network for New Media, Religion and Digital Culture Studies. In 2020, the Network started Digital Religion Publications to provide cutting edge resources for religious groups and research reports aimed at Digital Religion scholars that highlight current research study findings. 

In a section entitled “Scholars Observations of Patterns and Trends Found in Churches Technology Engagement,” the WCC communications team, led by WCC communication director Marianne Ejdersten, describes ways in which the WCC was able, even amid COVID-19, to maintain a global presence while, at the same time, be attentive to grassroots needs and stories from its member churches.

“Above all, the WCC wanted to be present for its member churches, its partners, its staff, and the world, by bringing hope to people that God was and is still present in their lives,” reads the text. 

The chapter goes on to answer that question, outlining both the inspirational foundation and specific communication tools employed. 

“From the start of the pandemic, the WCC underscored its work and its messages with the realization that we are one world and one humanity that must live and act together in love and care for each other and for our creation,” reads the text.

This latest eBook provides a follow-up to the conversations begun by contributors from “The Distanced Church” eBook, which was published a year ago. That eBook captured and documented the reactions of pastors who were both overwhelmed by the forced move of the church online, as well as excited about the possibilities that digital media offered. 

 

Campbell, Heidi A, editor (2021). Revisiting the Distanced Church. Available electronically here.

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The World Council of Churches promotes Christian unity in faith, witness and service for a just and peaceful world. An ecumenical fellowship of churches founded in 1948, today the WCC brings together 350 Protestant, Orthodox, Anglican and other churches representing more than 550 million Christians in over 120 countries, and works cooperatively with the Roman Catholic Church. The WCC acting general secretary is Rev. Prof. Dr Ioan Sauca, from the Orthodox Church in Romania.

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