Weekly is a winner

Nationally, the Church is producing a 35-to-45-minute weekly online service, which is shared on Facebook and YouTube.

The total number of views since launching 3 months ago is 5.2 million, a figure which includes those watching for 10 seconds+ on Facebook or 30 seconds+ on YouTube. Contributors have included the Archbishops of Canterbury and York, HRH The Duke of Cambridge and Pope Francis.

Social media posts relating to the weekly services have now been viewed 21.5 million times.

There are several interesting trends.

According to surveys run after recent online services, up to 1 in five people watching go to church monthly or less, which shows a reach well beyond the core audience.

Related to this, up to a third of people are not watching any other Christian service.

The services are also engaging a younger demographic. A third of people watching Archbishop Justin Welby’s Easter Day service on YouTube were under the age of 34, with an additional 27% aged 35-54. Nearly 25% of people watching the Mental Health Awareness Week service on YouTube were aged 13-34.