Updated
bab February 23, 2005

Recommended Technology Guidelines for Pastoral Work with Young People

Developed by the National Federation for Catholic Youth Ministry in consultation with the USCCB Secretariat for Child and Youth Protection and the Secretariat for Laity, Marriage, Family Life and Youth.

Numerous dioceses, parishes, and ministry organizations have formulated guidelines and policies based on their particular needs. Others are in the process of doing so, and many others have no written guidelines.

In the interest of making the use of technology safe for young people and ministry leaders, the NFCYM offers the following guidelines, recommendations, best practices, resources, and articles as a supplement to what may already exist, or as a template for formulating policies.

This document is to provide guidance to pastoral ministers on the use of various technologies, and as an aid to pastoral ministers and diocesan, parish, and/or school personnel in determining appropriate boundaries in their use of technology within their professional relationships with others. These are merely guidelines and suggestions for use, and are not meant to be interpreted as definitive policy.

Values to Guide Pastoral Practice

As ministry leaders employ new ways to reach out to young people (and others), questions may arise as to the proper use of such technology and social networking media. Additionally, communication technologies and the Internet will continue to evolve and school personnel, religious educators, and youth ministry leaders will need to keep pace with the latest tools and potential threats. The development of comprehensive policies that strike a balance between safety and pastoral effectiveness must be guided by three essential values. We must ask ourselves if the use of such technology is prudent, reasonable, and transparent.

Prudence encourages forethought and weighs the merit of the technology and its attending policies in light of pastoral effectiveness and potential risks. Policies and certain technologies may be deemed reasonable if the use is practical, sound, and considered a normative practice or standard. Lastly, being transparent requires that all we do is open to the scrutiny of others and that the use of technology and subsequent policies be clear, intelligible, and observable.      

With this balance the ability to train, share new ministry techniques, communicate, and evangelize will be enhanced and continue to be an advantage for our parishes, schools, and ministries.

View or download the Recommended Technology Guidelines for Pastoral Work with Young People. (3.52 MB)