In a joint letter to clergy on the impact of the new lockdown, the Archbishops of Canterbury and York and the Bishop of London have stressed the importance of online worship and write:
“In this second lockdown we want to encourage church buildings to remain open for private prayer wherever possible, making sure that their buildings are Covid secure in the ways that we have learned in recent months, and to broadcast services from their church buildings.
“However, if you do not have the resources or wherewithal to do this, please do not feel that you have failed in any way.
"The good thing about provision of worship online, is that people can join in from anywhere and therefore we can support each other more easily in this endeavour."
How to bring digital learning developed during lockdown into our reopening church buildings is also the subject of a new guide created for churches.
Taking church online has presented a number of new opportunities and technological challenges for all of us and as church buildings host services with congregations once more, a new missional horizon presents itself.
Streaming services has gone from being a luxury item to a necessity for many churches. This guide will help explore the options available in terms of budget and set-up, and provides a steer through some of the technical elements of the process.
Broadcasting worship online can be found by clicking here or accessing the COVID-19 section of our website.
The guide includes key things to consider at the start, as well as a number of case studies taken from different church contexts across our diocese. Other topics, such as how to remain inclusive whilst streaming online, are also covered.
Digital and Social Media Officer for the diocese, Richard Earnshaw said: “We hope this will be a useful resource for parishes as we all try to progress digitally and continue to provide worship online.
“It is an evolving resource, so any tried and tested suggestions are welcome."