FAITH leaders from the Bradford district have spoken of how the pandemic has changed the way they operate, while also looking ahead to the impact that it may have on the future.

Online events have been the "only means of survival" for many of the district's churches, mosques, gurdwaras and temples, while questions have been raised over how worship will look post-pandemic.

Reverend Nathan Javed, of GBM Churches, said that the shift towards digital worship is making churches look for "new ways" to engage with local communities, but added that everyone is "praying" for a return to normality, where worshippers can attend services in person again.

Mohammed Zubair, of Masjid Quba in Manningham, also said that despite there being "advantages" to doing things digitally, it is still "extremely important" that worshippers are able to return to mosques at some point soon.

It comes after Javed Bashir, of Bradford-based Strengthening Faith Institutions - which has helped places of worship carry out COVID risk assessments throughout the pandemic - asked "with places of worship turning to digital solutions, will there be no going back once the pandemic has passed?"

He added: "Could the steps taken towards digitisation help places of worship not only survive the current pandemic, but emerge stronger?

"If digital solutions are more convenient and are more scalable for places of worship, providing a new market without geographical boundaries, why would we revert to time-consuming face-to-face processes? Are we seeing a glimpse into the future, where digital processes improve the way places of worship function, and the way they engage with their users?

"One thing with digital transformation however, is that as it develops, we risk widening the gap between those who turn to digital options and those who don’t - for example, older generations."

Mohammed Zubair, of Masjid Quba, added: "We moved to online teaching as we couldn't risk children from our madrassa not having access to education with qualified teachers, because of these understandable breaks.

"Although there are some hurdles to overcome, such as little or no face-to-face interaction, there are also advantages, including the increased flexibility of time and location, and I believe this, in part, is going to be part of the future, in terms of education.

"Although mosques are providing more online services, it is extremely important that they open again for congregational prayers. Mosques are not just places of worship, they provide spiritual nourishment at difficult times."

Reverend Nathan Javed added: "Moving online has widened services and helped us to reach beyond the local community.

"The church is looking to find new ways to help digitally, but we pray we get back to normality when all this is over. We continued to strengthen people in their faith, yet lacked a strong connection with new worshippers.

"The digital world has value, but also downsides. It is difficult to sit still before a camera in meetings for so long, and however flexible it may be, we still lack the connection we had before the pandemic.

"We also need to find ways to bridge the gap in terms of age, and help the elderly adapt to the digital world."