Holy Synod Issues Updated Social Media Guidelines
At its Spring 2026 Session, the Holy Synod of Bishops of the Orthodox Church in America adopted updated “Social Media Guidelines for Clergy and Lay Leaders” for use throughout the life of the Church.
The revised guidelines apply to clergy, employees, and lay leaders serving in the dioceses, parishes, monasteries, seminaries, and institutions of the Orthodox Church in America. They are also commended to all who participate in the pastoral life and public witness of the Church, including clergy wives, monastics, parish council members, youth leaders, teachers, and others who represent the Church within their communities.
Recognizing the increasingly central role of digital communication in contemporary life, the guidelines seek to encourage responsible, charitable, and Christ-centered engagement on social media and other online platforms. The document emphasizes that Christian witness extends not only to what is said in person, but also to what is written, shared, and discussed online.
The guidelines are intended not primarily as restrictions, but as a pastoral and spiritual resource rooted in the Church’s longstanding understanding of speech, conduct, and Christian witness. Drawing upon the wisdom of the fathers, the document recalls the words of Abba Poemen: “I have often repented of having spoken, but never of having kept silence.”
In an age in which digital communication often rewards immediacy, reaction, and division, the Church is called to bear witness in a different manner: speaking the truth in love, exercising patience and restraint, and manifesting the peace of Christ even in online discourse.
The Holy Synod commends these guidelines to the faithful of the Orthodox Church in America with the hope that they will serve as a helpful tool for fostering thoughtful and respectful communication and a more faithful Christian witness in the digital sphere.