It faces declining congregations and an ageing membership, but the Church of England seems to have found an answer ?? Speed dating.

Matchmaking sessions are organised by a Christian dating agency which says it has achieved at least 100 marriages, including those of several clerics, and has a bishop among its subscribers.

The advantages are clear. If infatuation leads to holy wedlock, the children are likely to have C of E brand loyalty. The downside is the short chatting-up session: just four minutes. But speed dating has evidently hit the spot with liberals in the church. One woman priest said: "It is difficult to meet eligible Christian men. I'm in a small parish where I am unlikely to find a partner, so I have signed up."

Last weekend speed dating sessions were held for more than 350 of the faithful, including several clergy, in Cheltenham at Britain??s biggest annual Christian arts festival. Equal numbers of men and women sat in a tent to be sorted by age into groups and paired off. After four minutes?? conversation a whistle blew and participants moved on to the next potential mate.

After each encounter both people could choose whether to meet again. The organisers, the Christian Connection website, sent the most compatible couples each other??s e-mail addresses.

One woman admitted joining to seek a church figure: "I looked for a priest but nobody was wearing a clerical collar. Maybe they were in disguise. I'll try again next time."

Detractors say it risks making light of the passage in the marriage service that says matrimony "is not by any to be enterprised, nor taken in hand, unadvisedly, lightly or wantonly".

Philip Giddings, a founder of the traditionalist group Anglican Mainstream and a member of the archbishops' council, said: "It is a sad comment on our times. The speed notion of it is not particularly wholesome. I would be disappointed if young people thought this was the only way they could meet people."

Bishop David Pytches, a prominent evangelical, said: "Marriage cannot be decided in four minutes."

The brief encounters can, however, have happy endings. One minister who found love via the agency is 'Brian'. He contacted Christian Connection seeking a non-smoker with a strong faith. He met Diana two weeks after joining the agency last year; they married this summer. She had been looking for six months.

Brian said: "Many Christians would like to meet someone who shares their faith but often churches don't have many candidates. This widens the field. The bottom line is, you've got to meet someone somehow. I don't think it's cheapening marriage, or indeed relationships. People are very busy today and find it hard to meet people"

Jackie Elton, founder of Christian Connection which also has a gay section, said it was not just about marriage: "Every society has rituals of how people meet."

Additional reporting: Sarah Keenlyside

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