Premier Christian Media are to launch a series of media training seminars tailored for church leaders and members of the Christian community.

The new initiative will focus on coaching participants in how to connect with the media and the Internet.

"The past few years have seen a huge increase of media interest into genuine matters of faith and salacious religious scandal," Premier's Chief Executive, Peter Kerridge said.

"It is important that the Church is in a position to grasp the opportunities and avoid the pitfalls that come with engagement with the media."

"Premier passionately believes that the Church cannot afford to be a passive observer in the media landscape, it must contribute in a effective, intelligent and credible way. Establishing Premier Christian Media Training, we are giving all church leaders and staff an opportunity to engage with the media, fully prepared."

Held at Premier's studios in central London, seminars will run from May and include day sessions on Handling the Media, Using the Internet to grow your church, Marketing and Running Successful Events and an overview of The Media and the Church.

Premier plan to expand the programme, offering seminars across the UK with several locations in the north and south. Seminars will be conducted by industry professionals with a working understanding of the church and Christian faith, including journalists who have previously worked with the BBC, national magazines and newspapers.

"Each seminar is aimed to be practical and useful in real world scenarios and many offer individual feedback as well as opportunities to gain first hand experience with media professionals including print and broadcast journalists, web entrepreneurs and professional events co-ordinators," Kerridge added.

Over twelve years, Premier has been involved in all sectors of the media, from radio and TV broadcasting, to ministry production and magazine publishing.

Kerridge commented that Premier's experience makes the Media Group a natural choice to offer extensive media training to those involved with the church.

"A decade ago, most churches had a single printed newsletter. Now, many are reaching out to spread the gospel across the Internet, radio, TV and even in national newspapers," he said.

"With Premier Christian Media Training, we are able to provide church leaders from all backgrounds with a strong knowledge base and experience that will allow them to broadcast their ministries, conduct interviews with the media successfully, connect with Christians online and grow their churches in the process."

Delegates who have attended the initial sessions have commented that the days were "Excellent quality and really worthwhile" and "I learned a lot, would love to come to another".