This article examines how and why the Church of Sweden utilizes digital media, primarily social media and the web. The focus is on the ideas and motivations behind this use. Seven interviews were conducted with representatives from all three levels of the organization of the Church: the local, the regional and the national. The interviewees were selected to represent both those working with (digital) communication and those representing the more traditional institutional structure.
The Church of Sweden has a strong online presence, actively using their web pages and various forms of social media. When asked why they are online, the answers often center around availability (being where people are) and communicating in a language and medium people understand. The informants also refer to the idea of the Church of Sweden as a folk church (folkkyrka), accessible to everyone.
Even though there have been discussions aboutthe role of communication, including the howsand whys, and the extent to which it is possibleto integrate language and formats from PR businesses(and related fields), the different informantsagree on the need to integrate modern forms ofcommunication into traditional structures.
This article argues that one must consider the national context when interpreting the role of digital media within the Church of Sweden. The declining membership rates (often referred to as a secularization process) and Sweden's status as a highly media-penetrated country (a process referred to as mediatization) influence the church's willingness to use digital media to communicate with the public.
ISBN: 9789198709131