The Use and Abuse of “Replica” Church of God Social Media Sites
The following is a statement from Church of God General Overseer Dr. Timothy M. Hill:
Unfortunately, as a leader, there are times that assuming a defensive posture against the intentionally deceptive tactics of some becomes necessary. The unrestrained and ungoverned establishment of various social media accounts that use the church’s official and registered name – “Church of God” – often draw in unsuspecting and innocent participants, thinking they are joining something originating with, or at least endorsed by, the Church of God International Offices.
Granted, there are some honorably established social media sites established for the sharing of prayer requests, common history, benevolent causes and other good reasons. However, these sites, though unofficially associated with the Church of God, identify themselves in a proper way and make it clear that they are not representative of the denomination in creation and/or content.
On the other hand, there currently exist a few social media outlets that seem to identify themselves as being official Church of God sites, intentionally attempting to take on the appearance of being created and maintained by the denomination. Repeatedly, I have been brought in on discussion after discussion where the content used on these sites was quoted and considered valid, simply because the quoting individual read it on what was thought to be something created and approved by the Church of God. Sadly, some of these sites have been created and are managed by individuals who have absolutely no honorable intent toward the Church of God, its ministers or its members.
Recently, the unwise use of a few of these sites has created legal ramifications that were brought to our attention. In each case, we (Church of God International Offices) had to strongly denounce the sites as being blatantly deceptive and unofficial, and further we had to clearly state that we assumed no liability or responsibility for the content on the site whatsoever.
Without listing examples of content and identifying individuals who are responsible for the offending sites, allow me to simply state that the only media sources officially generated and endorsed by the Church of God International Offices are the following:
Website:
www.churchofgod.org
Facebook and Twitter Accounts:
@COGHQ
News Outlet:
www.faithnews.cc
Further, every department and ministry in the Church of God International Offices creates their own social media accounts. These accounts are reviewed for content and then appropriately approved.
While I maintain personal social media sites for the purpose of sharing family news, personal ministry events, and product promotion, it should be noted that my personal social media sites are not to be considered as official outlets of the Church of God International Offices either.
I certainly realize that minimizing this kind of activity is near to impossible in today’s technologically driven culture. However, I do encourage everyone to be alert to the existence of these “replica” sites and to use extreme caution before placing stock in content that comes from unofficial sources. Generally, the information is anything but official, and it is being disseminated only for the creator’s own inappropriate purposes. So take caution.
Tim Hill
