If you’ve ever stepped into a confessional, you know that it can be cathartic and scary at the same time. You’re about to tell a respected Holy man all the not-so-holy things you’ve done recently. This man knows your family, he might have held you as a baby, and he isn’t likely to be thrilled by whatever it is you have to say while in confession. But there is a trust there between pastor and parishioner that anything said will be confidential; you have privacy, and you know the purpose of this glimpse into your activities.

What about your online church? Is it secure in the same sort of way? Many ministers who get ordained these days are, at the very least, supplementing their services with a website. As we’ve discussed before, there are many benefits to help your modern congregation stay connected if you utilize the internet. Besides being the unlikely target of hackers, the privacy if your internet ministry deserves some concern.

The National Security Administration (NSA) collects all sorts of information from electronic devices under the guise of protection. These aren’t searches of suspected criminals with warrants on information that pertains to an investigation – this is dragnet style, carte blanche snooping. We could debate the merits or lack thereof at length, but we will save that for another day. In this discussion, we’ll rehearse some considerations you as a pastor or wedding officiant need to keep in mind.

The first step to maintaining trust with your online church is to keep the situation clear and honest. It is entirely possible you have members participating in your internet ministry that are unaware of the NSA activity, since after all, it was making headlines as early as 2006, yet it seemed to slip from the collective conscience and is now being treated as if it is new news. Be sure your congregation is aware that the government may be monitoring any online activity, and that your church is not exempt from this possibility. They should know that your church or its members have not done anything specific to warrant this – this is a general surveillance.

On the side of caution, we can bemoan the downfall of privacy as we know it. It is true that in some sense, the communication between a pastor and his congregation that was sacred and private is possibly stored and examined by the government. If you have strong convictions about preserving the confidential dynamic of minister interaction, you may decide you want to remove certain aspects of your website such as a confessional and encourage members to communicate sensitive issues with you in person. You may want to err on the side of caution if your church holds any beliefs that can be perceived as a threat, even if incorrectly so. We don’t know for example if a Muslim group would be scrutinized more than a Pagan group.

On the other side, we should consider potential ramifications of NSA activity. While the administration is indeed gathering intelligence on Americans, the primary focus of this is to learn of any potential foreign threats. The government has unearthed many unsavory things in its searches and refrained from acting on their knowledge of the information. This includes admittance of theft, infidelity, or the expression of philosophical government dissent. It is entirely possible to disagree with the NSA, be aware that you could be monitored, and still go about business as usual. It is entirely up to you and your online church. Make sure the congregation is aware that any electronic activity could be monitored, allow members a chance to discuss this with you if they have questions or concerns, and you can all decide if your internet ministry requires any restructuring.