Several sites have discussed the question of whether or not church e-mail is considered spam. The short answer is no. The Federal CAN SPAM Act went into effect January 1, 2004 and anyone sending mass e-mails would be wise to be aware of its stipulations.
While churches probably don’t need to worry about breaking spam laws, they do need to worry about breaking trust. While it may not be illegal, mass e-mails from your church may quickly be classified as spam by the recipient—and that’s really the person who matters.
E-mail can be a powerful and efficient communications tool—just make sure you’re using it right. Learn some E-mail 101 and avoid anything resembling spam:
- Use clear, helpful subject lines.
- Send your message from a recognizable e-mail address (yourname@yourchurch.org would be good).
- Provide unsubscribe information.
- Clearly identify yourself (give a mailing address).
- Don’t abuse your list. Stick with strictly church business—no forwards.
- Use the ‘BCC’ field for mass e-mails (it stands for blind carbon copy and means everyone’s e-mail address will be hidden).
kevin
February 10, 2005
Our post reminded Michael Boyink of a position statement he wrote on church e-mail lists. Check it out.