The Adventist Church in Denmark is reaching hundreds of viewers each week through Web Church, an online worship service designed specifically for online audiences rather than a streamed physical service. Launched in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, the initiative was developed in response to restrictions on in-person gatherings and the growing need for new ways to connect with people beyond church walls.

“Unlike traditional streaming, Web Church is produced directly for viewers,” said Jan-Gunnar Wold, one of the founders of the project.

“The aim is to strengthen people’s faith in Jesus, and meet them where they are on any digital device.”

The programs are broadcast from studios in Copenhagen and Viborg and are viewed by around 400 anonymous viewers. Hosts speak directly to the online audience, emphasising a shared virtual community while respecting viewers’ anonymity, a factor the producers say is important in a cultural context where faith is often regarded as a private matter.

Peter Larsen, communication director of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Denmark, said the format allows the church to reach people who may not feel ready to attend a physical congregation.

“We can see how many screens are watching, but not who is watching,” Larsen said. “We hope to reach those who find it difficult to take the first step into a church building, including people who may have been hurt by previous church experiences.”

Each Web Church program lasts approximately 40 minutes and includes preaching, personal faith stories, and the podcast The Great Story.

Viewers can also submit prayer requests, with around 100 requests received, many from people outside the church’s existing networks. An interdenominational prayer team then handles the requests confidentially.

From one person to another

The programs are produced with presenters speaking directly to online viewers, rather than addressing a physical congregation, a process Larsen describes as more demanding than simply streaming a church service.

“It is a little more complicated because everything is created specifically for the broadcast, including preaching, hosting, and music,” he said.

Producers also see language as an ongoing challenge. Content is intentionally framed for both Christians and those unfamiliar with church life.

“We have had to move away from internal church language and use a language that any Christian in Denmark can feel ownership of”, Wold said.

A supplement, not a replacement

Despite the complexity, Larsen said the impact makes the effort worthwhile. “A viewer once wrote to say Web Church was her lifeline,” he said. “Feedback like that shows there is a real need.”

Alongside Web Church, a Friday evening program was introduced in 2021 and features interviews with Christians sharing personal life stories. Larsen said viewer feedback suggests the testimonies resonate with viewers and offer encouragement and hope.

Web Church is not intended to replace physical church life, leaders say. Its creators describe it as a general Christian program, one that other denominations can use to support their own members who are unable to attend a local church.

“It has become a good alternative for people who cannot engage physically. We would rather offer something healthy than nothing at all,” Larsen said.

The original article was published on Udfordringen, a Danish Christian news outlet in the Trans-European Division.