The charter centres on five principles of truth, kindness, welcome, inspiration and togetherness, the Church says.

“We are all different and that makes the world an interesting place – and at times a challenging one. Think the best of people, whether they share our views or are speaking against them and aim to be constructive in the way we engage,” the guidelines say.

The charter will be launched by Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby during a visit to Facebook’s UK headquarters. He said: “Each time we interact online we have the opportunity either to add to currents of cynicism and abuse or to choose instead to share light and grace.”

The community guidelines have been created to encourage conversations that reflect the Church of England’s values. They apply to all content posted on the national social media accounts run by the Church of England, the Archbishop of Canterbury and Archbishop of York.

The guidelines also highlight the “downsides” of social media: “Social media is a very public way of enabling us as Christians to live out our calling to share the good news of Jesus Christ. One of its many joys is that it is immediate, interactive, conversational and open-ended.

“This opportunity comes with a number of downsides if users do not apply the same common sense, kindness and sound judgement that we would use in a face-to-face encounter.”

While written specifically for all users who engage with the Church of England’s and Archbishops’ national social media channels, the guidelines are built on universal principles.

Recommended:

• Scottish Ultrasound Tech Company Secures £1m to Boost Expansion
• Uber Issues Warning about Potential Over-regulation of Self-driving Cars
• Apple to Pay £3.8m Tax on £1.2bn UK Sales

The Church of England is encouraging dioceses and local churches across the Church of England to adopt them. However, they also say they are a resource for “Christians, people of other faiths and people of no faith”.

In addition, the guidelines also set a series of rules for people posting on its own social media accounts. Anyone who engages with the Church of England and Archbishops’ social media accounts, agrees to be safe, respectful, kind, honest and take responsibility for their online actions.

They must also be a good ambassador, disagree well, credit others and follow the outlined rules. The guidelines emphasise that people who post inappropriate, unsuitable or offensive comments on national social media accounts run by the Church of England, the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Archbishop of York may be reported or blocked.