Introducing the Church and Media Network

If you had to identify one force that was shaping our society for good or ill, many would choose the media. Radio, TV, the internet, PR and advertising are hugely influential. But for many Christians the world of the media is hard to understand. Indeed, the church has often held the media at arm’s length and had little to offer but criticism.

The Church and Media Network was established in 2009 to build bridges between the media and the Christian community. Its job is to lead and serve the church in its mission in and with the media. It is an inter-denominational network staffed by Christians with extensive experience in TV and radio.

The Network has three tasks:

Working inside the media
We have unrivalled opportunities to engage with the media on behalf of the Christian community. We’re working on the inside. Week by week we offer support and advice to those engaged in producing TV or radio programmes – for instance offering advice when Christians are portrayed in drama or suggesting guests for discussion programmes. We offer pastoral care and support to people who work at every level in the industry. We also get involved in consultations about the future of broadcasting.

Helping the church to engage with the media
We provide information about forthcoming programmes and help the national churches to coordinate their response. We provide training for Christians who are going to appear on TV and radio. We run courses for ministers and others to help them think through the issues. We want to provide resources to help Christians think about their own media consumption. And we aim to help the Christian community to think through its engagement with the developing digital environment.

Supporting Christians in the media
There are hundreds of Christians working at all levels and in all sectors of the media. These are key people because of the influence they exercise in our cultural life. But most are relatively unsupported. That’s why we established theMediaNet. In just three years the network has brought together 800 Christians in media to support, encourage, challenge and disciple them. theMediaNet has now become a cornerstone of support for Christians in media. Weekly mailings and real-life gatherings are appreciated as much as the on-line community and 24/7 support. We’re also working to encourage more Christians to think about media as a career. Visit www.themedianet.org