Church of England offers worshippers chance to hear prayers read by Amazon's Alexa device

The Church of England is offering worshippers the chance to hear prayers read by Amazon’s Alexa device in a bid to bring the faith into the technology age.

Owners can ask the virtual assistant to read a prayer, the Ten Commandments or the Lord’s Prayer, and even ask it to recite grace before a meal.

The move is part of the Church’s campaign to bring in more worshippers after figures showed fewer people were attending services across the country.

Figures for last year showed the Church was reaching 1.2 million people online every month, but that those attending Sunday services had dropped by 14 per cent since 2006.

The smart speakers will also have a "church near you" function to encourage people to visit their local church.

The Church of England said it hoped to also offer the service through Google Play in the future, adding that it wanted to use all of the technologies available to grow people's faith.

In a statement on its website, the Church said: “We’re planning to ensure users can find more answers to faith questions and to explore on other platforms in future.

“The audio content will also be used on the Church’s website and social media channels in the months ahead, and integrated into Church House Publishing apps and audiobooks in due course.”