The church is in the midst of a cultural revolution in communications and needs to respond confidently, Revd Rob Marshall, communications adviser to the Diocese of Derby, told members of the Melbourne Deanery Synod at All Saints, Aston on Trent last night.

"We are bombarded by messages and many people feel saturated by the words and images coming at them 24 hours a day. The message of the church needs to be heard in a communications saturated society where change is everywhere," Marshall told clergy and lay members of the Synod.

He outlined how communications can work in the Church of England and said that whilst fewer people might be going to church than they were 20 years ago, a majority of the population believed in God and yet found a pathway to the church confused and confusing.

"The media are also partly victims of the communication revolution. As much media migrates online, radio, television and newspapers are having to redo their job in a completely different way," Marshall explained.

He added: "Our task is to be relevant and pertinent to the cultural revolution going on around us. In fact we are in the eye of it so it is not easy to discern a way forward. It is true that in providing a radical alternative - space and silence - the church should be more confident in its communications at every level - including the parishes."