Prominent Leaders in Religion and Social Media

Archbishop Justin Welby

Social Media Effect on Religious Authority*

In recent years, faith community leaders have started building social media brands to help differentiate themselves from others In the past religious authority was given and everything ran on a top-down format. But because of social media and the way pastors are connecting with their followers the authority is co-constructed and a shared experience By posting spiritual thoughts instead of just scripture, pastors make themselves a part of the conversation and not just a leader, which in turn creates an easier environment for those who aren't usually involved with religion and ups the interest level
Internal Note: This could serve a precursor as well as a contributing point in the video outline

Overview
Born 6 January 1956, in London, England. Welby worked for 11 years in the oil industry, five of them for the French oil company Elf Aquitaine based in Paris. In 1984 he became treasurer of the oil exploration group Enterprise Oil PLC in London, where he was mainly concerned with West African and North Sea oil projects. He retired from his executive position in 1989 and said that he sensed a calling from God to be ordained. From 1989 to 1992, Welby studied theology and trained for the priesthood at Cranmer Hall and St John's College, Durham, where he was awarded a BA degree and Diplomatic Ministries in 1992 at age 36. In 2002, Welby was appointed a canon residentiary of Coventry Cathedral and the co-director for International Ministry at the International Centre for Reconciliation. In 2005, he was appointed Sub-Dean and Canon for Reconciliation Ministry and was appointed Dean of Liverpool Cathedral in December 2007. He was consecrated as a bishop at York Minster on 28 October 2011 and was appointed Archbishop on November 9, 2012. Welby has written widely on ethics and on finance, featuring in books such as Managing the Church?: Order and Organisation in a Secular Age and Explorations in Financial Ethics. Welby's dissertation, an exploration into whether companies can sin, marks his point that the structure of a system can "make it easier to make the right choice or the wrong choice." His dissertation led to the publication of a booklet entitled Can Companies Sin?: "Whether", "How" and "Who" in Company Accountability. He was asked to join the Parliamentary Commission on Banking Standards in 2012.

Creative Handle
Archbishop Welby, turned his back on a successful career in the oil industry to train as an Anglican priest, where his rise to Englands most senior post was remarkably swift due to positive media coverage. He used his experience in the business sector, as well as his superior diplomatic skills, mainly through effective use of social media, to gain recognition in a short period of time. Welby was at first rejected for ordination by John Hughes, the Bishop of Kensington, who told him: There is no place for you in the Church of England. Welby, firm with his sense of purpose as a religious leader, persevered and was subsequently accepted for ordination in 1989, with the support of the Vicar of Holy Trinity Brompton, Sandy Millar. Being a witness at first hand some of the horrific results of civil war in Nigeria, and even nearly killed on a number of occasions, he was able to develop a deep understanding of the nature of conflict, as well as an admiration for the Nigerian people who, he says, retain their faith and energy in the face of terrifying odds something he says continues to inspire him. When his appointment was announced (and it went out first on Twitter) Justin Welby said he would continue to tweet as Archbishop of Canterbury unless forcibly stopped. Instagram account adds to his Facebook and Twitter accounts as he embraces webbased social outreach. Welbys use of the photo-sharing network to blast out support for the U.K.s credit unions on International Credit Union Day. He wrote on Instagram: Our faith in Christ calls us to love the poor and vulnerable with our actions. That is why the Church must be actively involved in supporting the development of real lending alternatives, such as credit unions.

Takeaway
His willingness to commit himself as a Man of God despite his success in the business sector shows his deep sense of purpose: "I was unable to get away from a sense of God calling, I went kicking and screaming but I couldn't escape it. (purpose) He brings a unique blend of business acumen, strong diplomatic skills and the experience and reputation of being a solutions-driver to the Church. (competence) He appointment as Archbishop only over a year after being consecrated as bishop was mainly credited to his pursuit to bridge religion to ethics and finance, which was promoted rapidly by his heavy involvement in social media. (emphasis on how social media accelerated public awareness on his uniqueness) His belief in the Church being one of the most powerful forces of social cohesion spawned his campaign through social media. His awareness on its effect on Religious Authority, coupled with his natural ability to reach out from both spiritual and business standpoints, has no doubt made him successful leader. (character) His belief on how he sees the church as a safe place to do risky things in Christ's service", encompasses his intention to make the Church an influence in compelling issues such as lending awareness, energy rate hikes and quality of education. He wisely uses social media as a driver of the Churchs viewpoint for these issues. He is an example that anyone can thrive being a leader, as long as character, competence and purpose is there, at any place, any field, at any point of ones life, and at any circumstance, by properly using social media to reach out, promote awareness and inspire people to share your vision.

Video Snippet
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fjwmRnfwTbU Skip to minute 30 and listen through minute 33:30... This clearly emphasizes Archbishop Welbys vision for the church. Liberating people to be risk-takers through Christ. Growing the church and re-imagining ministry were also stated, which supports theories on how social media affects religious leadership. Minute 39 through the end of the video has him implicitly stating how the current times (information age) could have positive effect on the Church worldwide