The Archbishop of York is leading a special service to mark the fifth anniversary of the Church of England’s National Online Service.
It will be broadcast at 9am on Sunday, 25 March and will combine highlights from the past five years with new content, celebrating the vibrant online community that has developed.
Since its inception during the first COVID lockdown, the service has become a key weekly lifeline for many worshippers, especially those unable to attend church buildings due to illness, remote living, or other circumstances.
Last year alone, the service saw over 21 million views.
Most Rev Stephen Cottrell, in his welcome, acknowledges the service’s far-reaching influence and its ability to connect people across the country:
“Whether you have been joining us weekly or occasionally, you are very welcome,” he says.
“These services have connected us as a Christian community and as an online community.
“My prayer this morning is that in our worship, we will be more deeply connected to Jesus, who comes to show us the love and mercy of God.”
As part of the ‘best bits’ from the past five years, the service features highlights including Rev Richard Allen leading the confession from a lifeboat in Cornwall’s Trelawny Benefice, and hymns from St Martin’s Voices in locations like Holy Island and a stable, where Clover the donkey famously interrupted filming with her own chorus of braying. The sermon is given by Fr Angus Ritchie.
The service also features a reflection from Rev. Canon Gill Behenna, National Deaf Ministry Advisor for the Church of England and one of the regular sign language interpreters. She discusses the importance of deaf people accessing the Bible in their language and how the team ensures the service is fully accessible, including through services entirely in British Sign Language – which features during the compilation.
Regular viewers share how the service has become an important part of their spiritual life, offering worship and connection from a distance. Carol Holdsworth, a Licensed Lay Minister, describes how the online service has allowed her to stay connected despite ill health preventing her from attending in-person worship.
The service closes with a song from Gas Street, Birmingham.
While churches have long since returned to offering in-person worship, a significant number still provide online services as part of their ministry.
In 2023, 31 per cent of churches were offering some form of online worship, down from 71 per cent during the peak of the pandemic. This percentage has stabilised, with around 30 per cent of churches continuing to offer a regular Church at Home service.
The service is available every Sunday at 9am, and viewers are encouraged to sign up for weekly notifications and stay connected with the broader Church community.