THE tenth bishop of St Albans was announced last week, but his inauguration was a first. Not only was Rt Rev Alan Smith the first Church of England appointment of 2009, but also the only bishop ever to announce his appointment via popular video-sharing website YouTube. Josie Ensor reports on the collaboration of clergy and modern technology.

There is no doubt that the new Bishop of St Albans has grabbed the attention of the country in the last week in a way that a simple press conference would not normally achieve.

His three-minute broadcast was watched by almost 3,000 people in just the first few days and created a stir among priests in his new patch.

Bishop Alan opened the speech by saying he wanted to “engage with the world” and what better way than to broadcast to the billions of internet users. The clip was a clear message to the public that there is no reason why the clergy should be exempt from using technological tools in order to spread the ‘word’, with the Diocese of St Albans. But do the age-old scriptures of God and cyberspace mix?

“Yes of course - why ever not?” is Bishop Alan’s resolute answer. “We’ve always been pretty quick to use new means of communication. The Bible was the first printed book and the Church was quick to use stained glass to tell stories when that was new. In the earliest days of broadcasting in this country, clergy were on the air and the BBC has broadcast religious programmes for more than 80 years.”

So it seems a logical progression then that the Church of England will use whatever new tools they have at their disposal. Bishop Alan added: “Modern technologies might help us to connect with groups which we find hard to reach – such as younger men. The You Tube statistics show that two-thirds of those watching my video are men and in the first 48 hours after its launch 20 per cent were between 13 and 24.

“Using YouTube became a significant part of the story itself in this case. The video allowed people to see how I am, not just who I am. I think we certainly got a bigger bite of people’s time through the video. It gave us the chance to give a wide audience a sense of what their new bishop looks and sounds like as well as reaching people outside the diocese.”

But the Rt Rev Alan Smith is not alone; his new neighbour the Bishop of Buckinghamshire Rt Rev Alan Wilson is another cyber-savvy bishop and member of a larger network of self-appointed “God Bloggers”, with fellow bishops of London, Norwich and Grimsby.

The Rt Rev Alan Wilson has a Facebook profile, his own personal blog and a large following on social messaging site Twitter. The close relationship he has with his diocese as a result of his online networking could soon be enjoyed by St Albans church-goers.

Bishop Alan Wilson: “Alan Smith’s decision to post on YouTube was a great idea; we got a real sense of who the man is and it had a real human quality.

“When I had an inauguration for my last posting there were just half a dozen local journalists, which is so vastly different from Alan’s video post success, I will definitely do it that way for my next job.”

Bishop Alan Wilson believes the relationship between clergy and congregation can be a rich social interaction and has offered to show our new bishop more of the ways of the web.

“I look forward to that” Bishop Alan Smith says. “I certainly hope to do more in the future, so watch this space and cyberspace.”

The presence of religious leaders on the internet and their use of technology in liturgy will have a big impact on the traditional set-up of the Church of England. We could soon see a change from congregations and hymn sheets to cyberspace flocks downloading the latest service podcasts. This is already a reality for some in St Albans with several "paperless churches" up and down the county.

They are experimenting with multi-media projections, weekly podcasts, Twitter feeds and television monitors showing the latest church news. Though many in the county are a little more hesitant: Priest Tony Hurle of St Paul’s Church, St Albans said: “I am a dinosaur vicar when it comes to technology.

“Though it is still encouraging to have a bishop who uses new technology, as it is just what we need to reach more people. The YouTube clip attracted all sorts from different backgrounds, which is difficult to achieve outside of the internet.”

Reverend Mark Slater of St Luke’s Church in Cell Barnes Lane added: “It is a very good way of putting the point across and it was great to see the bishop in person. After seeing such a human side it encouraged me to think about the way our church can use the internet.”