Danish churches attempt to boost attendance by opening more night-time services

As more and more Danes leave the Church of Denmark to become atheists, priests in the Scandinavian country are opening night-time services in an attempt to boost attendance.

According to a survey conducted by the Diocese of Copenhagen, some 33 churches in 25 towns and cities have opened the doors of their churches at night. While night services are typically conducted between 8 p.m. and midnight about once a month, believers in Copenhagen can visit their local church at night several times a week.

In the western Jutland town of Holstebro, one church opens from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. on Fridays, a time when Danes are more likely to be found in bars or cafes, The Local reported, citing Danish news agency Ritzau.

Erik Ladegaard, a priest from the church, said that the aim of the night service is to provide an alternative to the traditional Sunday morning worship.

"It's our duty to be a church for people living now... and there are some that don't feel Sunday morning worship encompasses their spirituality," he said.

Visitors after 8 p.m. are allowed to light a candle, discuss a Biblical passage or contemplate quietly.

"There's a certain calm attached to an evening," said 61-year-old Ellen Brokhøj, who regularly attends the night services at the church in Holstebro.

"On one hand you are part of a community, on the other you can also be alone with God," Brokhøj added.

According to the report from Ritzau, the services can either be calm or be a raucous experience similar to a rock concert.

Ladegaard said that the concept of a night church allows the parishioners to play a more active role than they normally would.

Jes Heise Rasmussen, sociologist and Ph.D. student at the University of Copenhagen, asserted that one of the factors that make night churches an attractive option could be the concept of independent worship.

"They offer a different way to meet with the church," Rasmussen said, noting that the night time services could also be a way for priests to present a less stiff and formal image of the church.

It was reported in September 2016 that a record 10,300 people have decided to leave the Church of Denmark. It has been speculated that the high number was due in part to a campaign from the Danish Atheist Society, which ran a series of advertisements, asking questions such as: "Why believe in a god?," "Why should faith cost something?" and "Did Jesus and Mohammed speak with a god?"

The findings of a study conducted by the Pew Research Center in June 2015 indicated that the religiously unaffiliated are the second-largest faith group in Denmark.