Download The Netherlands: Society, Media & the Church

The Netherlands:
Society, Media & the Church
Fifth Professional Seminar for Church
Communications Offices
Pontificia Università della Santa Croce
27th of april 2006
Dutch society (1)
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16 million inhibitants
Randstad versus other provinces
‘Americanisation’ of the economy
Central right government
Murder of Pim Fortuyn and Theo van Gogh
Dutch society (2)
• Assylum/ integration of foreigners one of
the leading political themes
• As you all know…: strong on liberal values
(homosexuality, euthanasia, drugs,
prostitution)
Religion (1)
• Dominant secular society, but ‘kind of
religious intuition’ remains present
• The image of a ‘protestant nation’, but
catholic church by far the largest (4.5
million vs 2.5 million Reformed Church)
• Mainstream Reformed Church in decline,
growth of orthodox-protestant and
evangelical movements
Religion (2)
• Islam is growing fast (800.000-1 million),
but lack of clarity in leadership
• Hardly known: number of foreign christians
also increasing strong (Rotterdam)
• Church versus State ‘hot’ political issue
(mainly because of radical muslim
movements)
Catholic Church (1)
• From one of the strongest catholic
provinces in the world to the lowest
• Seven percent of catholics attend Sunday
mass (95% in the beginning of 20th cent)
• Lack of vocations (esp. religious life)
• Large number of lay pastoral assistents
• Financial & organisational problems
Catholic Church (2)
• Orthodox leadership versus dominant
liberal flock & clerus
• But… the ‘hot’ polarisation has ended
• Looking for new inititiatives (small
christian communities, Alpha course, etc)
• New movements welcome, strong in quality
but low in number
Media (1)
• Explosion of tv-broadcasters in the last two
decades
• Radio more and more a ‘jukebox’
• Internet strong and still booming
• Watching tv on internet increasing fast
• Newspapers structural in decline
Media (2)
• No catholic daily newspaper
• One semi-large general christian newspaper,
two small orthodox-protestant newspapers
• Two more or less catholic magazines with a
small audience; no real popular ‘family
style’ magazine
Media & Religion (1)
• New generation of journalists: from
specialists with own agenda to generalists
without knowledge
• Islam has given new attention to public role
of religion
• Catholic church leadership leading in image
of christianity
Media & Religion (2)
• Death of John Paul II turning point in media
attention for catholic church
• Bishops active on medical-ethical and social
issues
• Media attention strong on folkloristic and
surprising news, low in ‘serious’ matters
Church & Communication (1)
• Professional quality (information bulletin
Bconference, diocesan magazines, etc.)
• Communication office Bishopsconference: 4
professionals
• Communication offices dioceses: 1-3
• Internet ok on national and diocesan level,
moderate – weak in parishes
• Electonical communication with parishes in
development
Church & Communication (2)
• ‘Internal’ communication impossible
without using external channels
• Weak in measuring results of
communication
• Weak in focussing on a few issues
• Difficult to broathen ‘the catholic voice’ to
others than the bishops
RKK-zendtijd (1)
• Unique in the world
• State sponsored/ budget: EUR 7 mio
• 56 hrs Television, nearly 200 hrs Radio and
a very well developed website
• From a service to catholics to an instrument
for evangelisation
• www.katholieknederland.nl develops into
an independant broadcaster
RKK-zendtijd (2)
• Television: strong in emotion, weak in
content
• Radio: strong in content, weak in outreach
• Internet: possibilities without a limit, but
danger of becoming a narrowcaster
RKK-zendtijd (3)
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God voor…
Afzien
Childtelevision
Videocasting on Internet
Having Fun!
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Campaign style of communications
Tests on internet
Sms mobile service Lent
Benedetto shirts during WYD
Podcasting priest
Daily mass by the Cardinal
And a campaign
that didn’t make it…
Thoughts on the future…
• Internet & Mobile Phone the most
important “killer applications”
• Church communications has to be cross
medial
• Need for courage to explore new ways
(games!) and strategies
Anselm Grun osb:
“The most important challenge
for a succesfull organisation
in our times is:
how to organize creativity”