Conveyed religion: a strategic communication proposal for religious institutions

Abstract

Contemporary society has fostered a period of transformation in religious communication. Globalisation propels a communicated religion that forges a dialogue with its followers and with society as a whole. In this chapter, we aim to describe the existing situation, analysing religions as a social fact in a global society that is shaped by the movement of people and the proliferation of (traditional and new) media channels. From this perspective, religious institutions are viewed as living organisations that must accept the current context and need to develop a strategic communication plan. The chapter begins with a review of a theoretical corpus on religion, communication, and society, intersecting various reflections with theories of strategic communication and crisis communication. It aims to respond to the following question: how can religious institutions use strategic communication in the contemporary world? This is a qualitative investigation, empirically supported by interviews with two prominent figures from the Catholic Church, as a case study. The principal results of this research, based on the observation of contemporary society, include the importance of correct use of new media for strategic communication, and continuous training in order to improve strategic communication plans, that should operate on a continuous basis.