New data reveals weekly attendance as churches continue their post-COVID recovery—and marks the launch of a long-term local Church Pulse Check Panel.
The Church Pulse Check aims to ‘take the pulse’ of Australian churches on an ongoing basis, building on previous work by NCLS Research to faithfully report on church health and vitality.
Around 10% of all Australian churches took part in the 2025 Church Pulse Check which provides estimates of weekly attendance and faith commitments. Based on a survey of 1,005 local churches conducted in October and November, we used a methodology called ‘block growth projections’ to estimate weekly church attendance across all denominations.
Weekly attendance in 2025
In 2025, about 1.35 million Australians are estimated to attend church services in an average week. This figure highlights the ongoing significance of local churches in the lives of many Australians.
Recovery Post-COVID
The 2025 Pulse Check showed that weekly attendance had returned to 89% of the 2001 estimate of attendance. This signals both resilience and ongoing challenges for churches nationwide.
Introducing the local Church Pulse Check Panel
The 2025 Pulse Check also marks the beginning of a long-term local Church Pulse Check Panel—a major step forward in tracking church health. The most reliable way to measure growth or decline is through a repeating panel of churches, which allows accurate estimates over time. For this panel to reflect the diversity of denominations, collaboration with denominational leaders will be essential.
As part of the Pulse Check, churches were asked if they were willing to join this panel, and many agreed to do so. While additional churches will need to be added over time to ensure broad representation, we are so thankful to all church leaders who are willing to support this national collaborative venture.
These insights—and the new local Church Pulse Check Panel—will help churches, leaders, and communities understand trends and plan for the future. The Pulse Check will continue to monitor these indicators to provide a clear picture of church health in Australia.
Thank you to all participants!
Report coming soon!
The 2025 Pulse Check Report will be released in coming weeks, so stay tuned for the full report.
