The shape of the Australian Church is changing 

Since NCLS Research started collecting data in 1991, the number of people in churches in Australia has decreased. But what this hides is a big variation across denominational groups. The Catholic Church and Mainstream Protestant churches (Anglican, Uniting, Lutheran, Presbyterian) have decreased. The Pentecostal churches have increased dramatically, and Other Protestant churches have increased a little. 

During the early years of the pandemic, it wasn’t possible for people to attend church in many parts of the country. Our research in the years since the pandemic shows that church attendance rebounded to a large extent – but again, not for all denominations.  

The balance of denominations has changed dramatically. In 2001 Mainstream Protestants made up half of all Protestant church attenders. By 2024 they were less than a third. In contrast, Pentecostals outnumbered Mainstream Protestants, as did Other Protestants. 

We will use 2026 National Church Life Survey to check the “pulse” of the Australian Church.  How many people attend now?  

https://vimeo.com/1226486114?fl=pl&fe=sh