Lexi Webster
While Australia has more churches than schools, and more Australians attend a church service each week than there are people in South Australia, church attendance in the country has been declining over the past few decades. However, there are signs of growth in recent years, particularly in Protestant churches, due to the high growth of Pentecostal movements. Christmas and Easter remain important points of connection between churches and their surrounding communities, with up to 42% of Australians saying they might go to church at Easter if invited.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Australians who identify as Christian but do not frequently attend church | 17% (Christmas), 12% (regular service), 11% (Easter) |
| Australians who attended a Christmas service in the past 12 months | 20% |
| Australians who attended a church event in the past 12 months | 33% |
| Australians who frequently attend church | 16% |
| Australians who attended a regular church service in the past 12 months | 19% |
| Australians who would go to an Easter service if invited | 42% |
| Australians who are unsure if they would go to an Easter service | 19% |
| Australians who would not go to an Easter service if invited | 29% |
| Australians who do not have friends or family who attend church | 10% |
| Australians who attend a church service each week | 1.8 million or 7% |
| Australians who identify as Christian | 61.1% |
| Australians who identify with a Christian denomination in 1996 | 71% |
| Australians who identify with a Christian denomination in 2016 | 52% |
| Anglican church attendance | 5% |
| Uniting church attendance | 10% |
| Catholic church attendance | 11% |
| Baptist Church attendance | 33% |
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What You'll Learn
Australians who identify as Christian but don't attend church often
While Australia has historically been a Christian nation, with 88% of Australians identifying as Christians in the 1966 census, there has been a notable shift in recent years. The 2021 census confirmed that Christians now constitute a minority in the country, reflecting a long-term realignment between how people identify and how they live. This trend is particularly evident among younger generations, who are increasingly entering the census with no religious background.
Among those who still identify as Christians, there is a significant gap between identification and religious practice. For example, the 2016 National Church Life Survey (NCLS) revealed that only a small percentage of Catholics (11%), Uniting Church identifiers (10%), and Anglicans (5%) attended weekly church services. This disparity suggests that for many Australians, Christian identification is largely cultural, rooted in family traditions and heritage rather than active participation in church life.
Various factors contribute to this disconnect between identification and practice. One reason could be the rise of secularism and the increasing number of religiously uninvolved Australians. Additionally, some Christians may feel that the church is failing to stay relevant and abandon biblical truths, leading to a decline in attendance. Negative media coverage of religious institutions, including stories of abuse and misconduct, may also play a role in discouraging Australians who identify as Christian from actively participating in church activities.
Despite the overall decline in church attendance, certain Christian groups, such as Pentecostals, are experiencing growth. Additionally, Christmas and Easter remain important points of connection between churches and their communities. Up to 42% of Australians say they might attend an Easter service if invited, and one in five Australians attended a Christmas service in the past year. These occasions present opportunities for authentic engagement and respectful conversations about faith.
In conclusion, while Australia has traditionally been a Christian nation, there is a growing disconnect between religious identification and active participation in church life. This trend is influenced by a variety of social, cultural, and institutional factors. However, significant religious events and personal connections continue to serve as important touchpoints for Australians who identify as Christian but do not regularly attend church.
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Christmas and Easter services
Christmas and Easter are important points of connection for Australians who infrequently attend church. Around 19% of Australians attend a Christmas service, with Christmas Eve being slightly more popular than Christmas Day. Families decorate their homes with ferns, palm leaves, and evergreens, as well as colourful flowers such as the Christmas bush and Christmas bellflower. Some families put up a Christmas tree. Christmas festivities begin in late November, when schools and church groups present Nativity plays. They sing carols throughout the month of December. On Christmas Eve, families may attend church together and open their presents the next morning. Some children expect Father Christmas to bring gifts, while others wait for Santa Claus. After opening presents, the family sits down to a breakfast of ham and eggs. Some families enjoy a traditional British Christmas dinner of roast turkey or ham and rich plum pudding doused in brandy. Others grill their Christmas dinner on the "barbie" in the sunshine. Many families go to the beach or countryside and enjoy a picnic of cold turkey or ham and a salad.
Around 16% of Australians attend an Easter service, with attendance at Easter Sunday and Good Friday services being equally common. The Catholic Church considers the Saturday and Sunday of Easter to be the most important days, celebrating the resurrection of Christ. However, many Australians no longer associate the holiday with religion, and it is instead becoming a long weekend getaway.
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Australians' understanding of Christianity
Christianity is the largest religion in Australia, with 43.9% of the population identifying as Christian in the 2021 census. This marks a decline from previous decades, with Christians making up 86.2% of the population in 1971 and 96.1% during the Federation of Australia in 1901. The decrease in religious affiliation is attributed to various factors, including the widespread decline in religiosity, increasing diversity in immigration, improvements in education and prosperity, and internal institutional issues within the Church.
Christianity first arrived in Australia with British colonisation in 1788, when most settlers were members of the Church of England, with smaller numbers of Nonconformist Protestants, Catholics, and other faiths. The early colonial period saw legal privileges for the Church of England, while Catholicism was suppressed, leading to religious tensions that persisted into the 20th century. The gold rush era further diversified religious traditions with the influx of Irish Catholicism, Scottish Presbyterianism, and English Anglicanism.
Despite the decline in religious affiliation, Christian festivals such as Easter and Christmas remain important cultural touchpoints for Australians. Many Australians who do not frequently attend church still connect with Christianity during these festivals, with one in five attending a Christmas service and 17% attending Easter services. Additionally, six out of ten Australians are familiar with Christianity to some extent.
The Christian churches in Australia are actively involved in social welfare and education provision. The Catholic Church and the Anglican Church, through organisations like Catholic Social Services Australia and the Anglicare network, provide essential services such as emergency relief, aged care, family support, and assistance to the homeless. Around a quarter of students attend church-owned schools. Historically, Christian missionaries played a significant role in attempting to convert Indigenous Australians to Christianity, with some missionaries contributing to the anthropological and linguistic understanding of Indigenous cultures.
Australian literature and prominent figures have also been influenced by Christianity. Many contemporary writers, screenwriters, and poets attended Anglican, Presbyterian, or Catholic schools, and their works often reflect Christian themes. Additionally, historically significant Australians, such as Saint Mary MacKillop and Pastor David Unaipon, have left their mark on the country's Christian heritage.
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Growth in Protestant churches
Protestantism has been a major part of Australia's Christian foundations since the arrival of the First Fleet of British convict ships in Sydney in 1788. The Church of England, now known as the Anglican Church, was the largest Christian church in Australia until the 1986 census.
However, in recent years, there has been a general decline in church attendance across the country. This decline has been observed in both Catholic and Protestant churches, with the rate of decline in self-reported church attendance from 1950 to 2019 slowing down. Despite this downward trend, there are signs of resilience and growth in Protestant churches, particularly in Pentecostal denominations.
Pentecostal churches, including Australian Christian Churches (ACC) and Christian City Churches, have experienced rapid growth, with a 20% increase in membership between 1991 and 1996. This growth continued, and by 2016, ACC had become the second-largest single denomination in Australia, surpassing Anglican, Baptist, and Uniting churches. The growth of Pentecostal churches can be attributed to their contemporary praise and worship styles, as well as their ability to adapt to new styles over the years.
Other Protestant denominations, such as the Baptist Church, have also contributed to the growth of Protestantism in Australia. The Baptist Union of Australia and the Churches of Christ in Australia grew by less than 10% between 1991 and 1996. Additionally, the Salvation Army, Adventist Church, and other Protestant churches have shown moderate growth over a 25-year period.
While the overall size of the church in Australia may be plateauing, the growth in Protestant churches, particularly Pentecostals, has helped stabilize the decline in mainstream churches. The resilience and growth in Protestant churches indicate a shift in the religious landscape of Australia, with a diverse range of denominations now co-existing and shaping the country's spiritual identity.
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Churchgoers inviting friends and family
While Australia is a predominantly Christian country, with 61.1% of Australians identifying as Christian, less than one in seven of these people regularly attend church. However, Christmas and Easter remain important points of contact between churches and their surrounding communities. In fact, 42% of Australians say they would go to an Easter service if invited by a close friend or family member, so churchgoers should take advantage of this opportunity to invite their friends and family to church.
Research shows that relationships are essential for authentic engagement on matters of faith, and patience may be needed to explain the tenets of Christian belief to people outside the church. Easter is an excellent time for churchgoers to invite their loved ones to join the Christian celebrations, and it may also be an opportune time for respectful conversations about faith. Women, people with a university degree, and people born in non-English-speaking countries are more likely to accept an invitation to an Easter service.
Christmas is also a significant time for church attendance in Australia, with one in five Australians attending a Christmas service in the past year. This makes it another good opportunity for churchgoers to invite friends and family to join them. While Easter and Christmas are the most common times for infrequent churchgoers to attend services, regular church services are also a point of contact for non-attenders, with 12% of non-frequent churchgoers citing regular services as a time of connection. Therefore, churchgoers can also invite friends and family to regular services throughout the year.
It is important to note that some churchgoers may hold back from inviting their friends and family to church due to fear of rejection or not wanting to offend others. However, people from all age groups are equally likely to accept invitations to Easter services, and there are no significant differences in the openness of young, middle-aged, and older adults. Therefore, churchgoers should not be discouraged from extending invitations to their loved ones, as they may be more receptive than expected.
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Frequently asked questions
Between 1.9 and 2.1 million Australians attend a church service in a month, and around 1.6 million or 7% of Australians attend church in a week. However, only 16% of Australians say they attend church frequently.
Australians are most likely to go to church at Christmas and Easter. One in five Australians attended a Christmas service in 2018, and 17% attend Easter services each year.
The percentage of people claiming to identify with a Christian denomination dropped from 71% in the 1996 Census to 52% in the 2016 Census. In 2022, 61.1% of Australians identified as Christian.
Less than one in seven Australians who identify as Christian regularly attend church. Attendance rates vary depending on denomination, with higher rates for smaller denominations such as the Baptist Church (33%) and Pentecostals (102%).
