1991-2001 Weekly Church Attendance
These figures show the increase or decline in weekly attendance in Australian churches over a 10 year period (1991-2001). The attendance picture is then compared to the increase or decline of the number of congregations in that denomination. Those that are growing are planting churches – those that are not planting churches have leveled off or are declining:
Anglicans: 7% decline in weekly attendance, 9% decline in number of congregations
Lutherans: 18% decline in weekly attendance, 5% decline in number of congregations
Uniting: 22% decline in weekly attendance, 22% decline in number of congregations
Apostolic: 32% increase in weekly attendance, 67% increase in number of congregations
Assemblies of God: 30% increase in weekly attendance, 37% increase in number of congregations
We need to 'crunch' the numbers for Adventists and others – but even the anecdotal evidence is disturbing and all the the churches put together are not keeping pace with the population growth!
Posted: February 13th, 2007 under Plant movements.
Comment from Wayne Field
Time February 21, 2007 at 1:21 pm
Thank you for this reminder Peter. We need to keep striving to do beter. I think it’s a matter of dying to ourselves, considering others before ourselves – and all too often we get in our comfort zones, surrounded by friends at church and we become unwilling (or too busy) to let others in to those circles.
[B.T.W. Principal of the Baptist Theological College in WA, Brian Harris, is now a contributor at the Ra’ah blog. His latest article, called “Charisma as Disadvantage,” is an excellent comment on leadership and preaching]