letter from Dublin
Evangelical churches in the Republic of Ireland are seeking guidance relating to online services following a case where a church in the Irish midlands was sued due to the content of their live-stream.
The pastors of an evangelical church in Co. Offaly were ordered to pay €14,400 (approximately £12,574) to a father following a defamation action where his teenage daughter spoke about him during her baptismal service. The baptismal service was live-streamed on the church Facebook page, although the link was later removed by the church.
Many evangelical churches across the Republic of Ireland have been live-streaming their services since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 and continue to do so for those that cannot attend in-person. Services are regularly live-streamed on church websites and other platforms including YouTube and Facebook.
The Church of Ireland Central Communications Board have produced online worship guidelines, in addition to a live-streaming and recording checklist.
Many other Irish churches, both denominational and non-denominational, are now seeking advice regarding the live-streaming of services to prevent similar cases from occurring.
A live-stream is often preferred to a recording as people feel they are participating in the service rather than just observing, but following this case a possible solution may include recording a service, then adding the recording to the church website following any potential edits, especially as the leadership may not always be aware of what invited speakers will say during a service.
It is hoped that online services can continue, but evangelical churches in the Republic of Ireland are small, with the majority having fewer than 100 members (according to an Evangelical Alliance Ireland report). As a result many churches may not have members within their congregations with expertise in digital communications and therefore may take the decision to pause live-streaming some or all of their services, until further clarification is received.
