A Welsh vicar has been congratulated for becoming one of the first to
introduce 15-minute services in a bid to attract more worshippers.
The Reverend Dr John Gillibrand is hoping that it will help people fit a visit to church into their busy lives.
St David's Church in Penllergaer, Swansea, is reported to be the first church in Wales to offer the speedy services, which are also known as 'microservices'.
The Revd Gillibrand said the idea began when he was thinking about the challenges people in the local community were facing after Covid, and he hopes that the initiative will help more people "find peace in a troubled world".
He told ITV Wales: "One of the things that is most striking to me as the parish priest is how much pressure individuals and families are under, and so that's why we came up with this idea of a short church service.
"It will be no longer, no shorter than 15 minutes. It's so that people on the way home from work can call into church, find a space for peace and quiet and prayer and reflection, and then go home to whatever challenges they're facing."
The Church in Wales has seen a large drop in members over the past 25 years, with a fall of nearly 50,000.
These services, which will be held on Mondays, are not planned to replace the Sunday morning services but the hope it is will encourage more people into the church.
The Revd Gillibrand said: "Churches always need to be alive to their context, to be thinking about the context in which we are working. If we don't, that's when we start getting problems, because there's this disconnect that comes between church and wider society. Anyone or any group is welcome to contact me if another time slot would suit better and we'll do our best to help out.".
The 15-minute services will take place every Monday at 4.45pm, starting on April 22, 2024.