Churches in the UK are for the first time being urged to live-stream services on social media to allow people who are ill, too nervous to attend, or who have family commitments to take part.
The plan will help mums and dads throughout the country who might prefer to go to church on Sunday and who have for decades sacrificed their spiritual needs to stand in the cold and wet on football and rugby sidelines to support their children's sporting endeavours. They will now be able to stay in touch with their church community while continuing to support their children's Sunday morning activities.
Many clergy and parochial church councils in the Church of England impose strict controls over taking photographs or videos at services, including weddings.
But the mood against media of all kinds when it comes to the sacred space of church is undergoing a profound shift with the nation's young people growing up digitally literate from early childhood. Young people are teaching the older generations that the sacred can be found in the social as well as in the sanctuary.
Tallie Proud, digital media officer for the Archbishops' Council, says in a new blog that live streaming church services online isn't new.
"There are some churches in the country that are able to do it every week, others that do it for special services. For the installation of my clergy father at his new church, they set up cameras and broadcast it live to his previous church for the members who couldn't make the long journey but still wanted to support him. Other churches have helped connect abroad family members for baptisms or weddings."
Broadcasting services online has many benefits, she adds. "It could be someone too ill to attend, a family who want to 'attend' even when on holiday or someone who just wants to know what the church is like before they make the sometimes scary step of walking into the building for the first time."
What's new is that thousands of pounds worth of video equipment is no longer necessary, because live streaming can be done with social media.
"The app that everyone is talking at the moment is Periscope. Recently bought by Twitter, the app uses your mobile camera and lets those with the right link to watch whatever you would like to broadcast. What's great about it is there's barely any set up. Once you have the app, all you need to do is press record. Because it's quick and easy, any church member with a smartphone and good signal can start recording."
St Radegund's church in the Grayingham in the Lincoln diocese is believe to be the first to have broadcast a service using Periscope. More than 350 viewers tuned in. The Vicar, the Rev Kathy Colwell, said: "It's amazing and it just shows you what potential modern technology has for spreading the word."
If a church cannot live stream its entire service, the advice is to use Periscope during a Good Friday Walk of Witness,for example, a bell ringing session, or to introduce various church members.
Among the tips Ms Proud offers, is: "Keep things entertaining, if things start to go quiet and the view count drops, it's probably time to end the broadcast. At the same time, if you planned to end it at a certain time and people are still engaged, keep going!"
