Wow! A lot has happened since I last talked about my Birmingham fellowship project that explores the relationship between people’s perceptions of God and their aspirations towards living well. Jessica and I finished collecting and analysing our first set of data (thank you everyone who shared and/or completed the questionnaire!) and we presented our findings at the Ecclesiology and Ethnography conference in Durham. Just like last year, it was a pleasure to be part of the conference. There was so much to learn and so many good papers from presenters across the world.
In our presentation, we described the pilot study we have completed – what we did and what we discovered – and outlined what our next steps along this research journey will be. In summary, our pilot study, consisting of an online questionnaire completed by adults baptised in NZ Baptist churches in the last five years, found that people do want to be like God… The things they wrote they wanted to be like (for instance, more graceful, less “for myself”, and less independent) matched the attributes of God they most appreciated (the same person said: God is graceful, Jesus is servant-like, Jesus is fatherly, God is friend). Each of the seventeen people who responded to the qualitative questions showed at least one match between their aspirations and the attributes of God they appreciated.
We found matches within twelve different categories: self-giving, active, Christ-like, loving, faithful, mental wellbeing, patient, generous, relational, authenticity, forgiving, and other spiritual. Of these different categories, matches were most prominent in the self-giving (self-control, humble, self-less, obedient) category. Which is something we are very interested in!
Just as interesting was that each of the twelve participants who responded to the question said that “reflecting on what God is like” made them “want to be more like God.” All but one also indicated that “reflecting on what God is like” made them “want to be a better person.” While five respondents noted that reflecting on God made them “realize that they weren’t very good,” three said that reflecting on God made them “realize that they [are] very good.” In fact, one of these respondents indicated that reflecting on God made them realize that they are both not very goodandvery good. Such a nuanced understanding of one’s humanity can certainly be understood theologically!
So where to from here? We didn’t get enough responses to statistically analyse the quantitative data, so (having refined and simplified the questionnaire and our God Attributes Measure) we started gathering more data from anyone aged over 18 who considers themselves to be of Christian faith.
We’d love you to let others know about it:
Research on faith and spirituality
Are you aged over eighteen years and a person of Christian faith? If so, Dr Lynne Taylor and Dr Jessica Bent (from the Theology Programme, University of Otago) invite you to take part in a research study on faith and spirituality. It is part of ongoing research on contemporary faith formation.
If you choose to take part in our research, you will be asked to complete an online questionnaire (it will take approximately 15 minutes) that asks you questions about your perceptions of God and yourself.
The 2023 Census data on religious affiliation, released in October 2024, contains few surprises. The number and proportion of people of no religion has continued to grow, at a slower rate than previously. Overall, there has been a decline in both the number and proportion of Christians. As with other censuses, different denominations and groupings show different rates of decline, and some have grown. The number of people who stated they were “Christian” without further clarifying has continued to grow. There is a lot to explore and consider in the data, and what follows is an initial analysis of some of the numbers.
No religion
The number of people in New Zealand stating that they have no religious affiliation continues to rise, increasing from 1,663,348 in 2013 to 2,576,049 in 2023 (an increase of 58% over the decade). This means that people of no religion now make up 52% of the New Zealand population.
While the increase between 2018 and 2023 is (at 14%) still large, the rate of increase has slowed: between 2013 to 2018 the increase had been 38%: over 2.5 times the 2018-2023 rate. At an average of 2.8% per year, the 2018 to 2023 increase is slightly more than twice the NZ population increase of 1.3% per year (averaged 2018-2023).
A similar pattern is seen for those who object to answering the religion question. This increased by 98% over the ten years, to 342,705, but most of that growth occurred in the 5 years to 2018, when there was an 81% increase. (There was a 10% increase in the 2018-2023 period.)
The number of people who said they were agnostics increased between 2018 to 2023 (by 14%, to 7434). However, the number of atheists declined (by 7%, to 6549). (Incidentally, the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster also declined, by 4.5% to 3297!)
Christian – not further defined
Of high proportional increase is the number of people who state that they are Christian, but do not further define their denominational affiliation. This population has increased at a rate considerably higher than population growth, increasing by 69% from 216,177 to 364,644 from 2013 to 2023. However, the rate of increase of this population has also slowed – from 42% in the 2013 to 2018 period to 18% in the 2018 to 2023 period. (The annualised rate of increase is 3.7% in the 2018-2023 period, down from 8.5% between 2013 and 2018.)
This continues a trend of declining importance of denominational affiliation. Now, 22.5% of those who indicate they are Christian do not name any denominational affiliation in the Census, compared with 11.5% in 2013.
Christian – denominations
The number and proportion of people naming an affiliation with most Christian denominations has declined markedly over the past ten years. Generally, this continues an expected decline, including as these populations age. The largest declining denominations are shown here:
Denomination
2013
2023
% change
Anglican
459,771
245,301
-47%
Baptist
53,493
28,548
-47%
Brethren nfd and Open Brethren
12,852
5,097
-60%
Catholic
492,321
449,484
-9%
Methodist nfd
97,320
41,337
-58%
Presbyterian
316,332
179,535
-43%
Also showing an overall decline are the Pentecostal groupings of churches (down 11% overall). However, individual Pentecostal ‘denominations’ show varying patterns of growth and decline. Looking at the larger groupings, some grew between 2013 and 2018 but declined to 2023 (Destiny, Elim, New Life, Vineyard). Only Assemblies of God showed sustained growth in both periods, although most of the growth occurred 2013 to 2018 (8%, cf 9% for the decade; 1% 2018-2023).
Denomination
2013
2023
% change
All Pentecostal
74439
66213
-11%
Other groupings (with over 1000 adherents) to show sustained growth in both intercensal periods are Seventh-day Adventists (up 25% over the decade, to 18,204), Korean Christian (4,110), Reformed Baptist (195% increase to 1,152), Plymouth or Exclusive Brethren (28%, to 7,170), Churches of Christ (together all subcategories increased from 2145 in 2013 to 4203 in 2023; up 96%). Wesleyan Methodists first featured in 2018 and increased by 11% to 5,136 in 2023. Tongan Methodists showed sustained growth: from 4509 in 2013 to 12540 in 2023 (178%), with most of that growth occurring in the 2013 to 2018 period. Some other ethnic churches also showed sustained growth: Cook Island (no denomination stated), 38%; Samoan Congregational, 136%; (Methodists not elsewhere classified also grew by 207% over the ten years to 3753.)
The number of people simply calling themselves Evangelical declined by 32% to 4149, while those saying they are “born again” increased from 7917 to 29,061 over the decade (but had peaked at 33,486 in 2018). “Jesus followers” were first recorded in 2018 and increased to 2073 in 2023.
Christian – overall
Overall, the number and proportions of Christians in Aotearoa has continued to decline, but the rate of decline has been relatively stable over the decade: 1.5% per year between 2013 and 2018 and 1.4% per year between 2018 and 2023.
Altogether, 32% of New Zealanders state that they are of Christian religious affiliation – 1,620,555 people.
Māori religions
The 2023 reporting separates Māori religions, and I have not included any Māori religions or Christian denominations above. Overall, Māori religions, beliefs and philosophies have increased by 16% over the decade. An increase in Rātana is partially offset by a decline in Ringatū.
Other religions
Many other religions are growing. After Christianity, Hinduism is the largest religion, and its adherents increased by 59% in the decade from 89,085 in 2013 to 142,008 in 2023. The number of people of Islamic faith also increased, by nearly 50%, from 45,960 in 2013 to 68,538 in 2023. For context, the number of people affiliated with Hinduism and the Islamic faith (210,546) is now larger than Pentecostal, Methodist, Baptist and Brethren combined (141,195).
The number of people of New Age religions increased by 17% overall between 2013 and 2023 (to 21,540), with a higher rate of increase in the latter 5 years (1.9% per annum between 2018 and 2023, compared with 1.4% growth per annum 2013 to 2018).
Final thoughts
Overall, there is an ongoing decline in the number of people affiliated with Christianity – but much of that decline is due to people no longer naming an affiliation with a particular historically large denomination. Christians are increasingly likely to name themselves as simply that: Christian. Some smaller denominations are growing, and there continues to be growth in some ethnic groupings of churches.
More analysis is needed on all this data. The ethnic differences need to be unpacked further, as do other groupings. When available, cross tabulations with age and ethnicity will enable further analysis and insights. Watch this space!
As I interviewed church leaders and attenders, I heard some wonderful stories of how God had been at work in their churches. And I heard delight in the telling of those stories. For instance, there was a sense of wonder at the appropriateness of the texts pre-selected for the first Sunday service in Lockdown 2020. The Revised Common Lectionary Old Testament text, used by many churches, was about God breathing life into dry bones: a message of hope that even in the midst of their worst moment, God was at work, bringing the transformation of new life. Another church (that had selected their service theme and texts late in 2019) focused on Jesus multiplying the loaves and fishes offered by one boy. They noted the relevance of this text for a time when they desperately needed God to multiply what God had given them. For this church, they saw and celebrated God’s hand at work in preparing them to be able to support others during covid. For each church, the naming and celebrating of this helped strengthen faith expectancy, and hope.
One woman recounted how a newcomer to church just before Lockdown had provided their email address, but she wasn’t able to read it and so couldn’t contact the person. She was delighted to encounter the newcomer on a Lockdown walk and was able to get their contact details and stay in contact.
These stories and others were told to me with a sense of
wonder and celebration. God is at work in our world! God’s activity can be recognised,
named and celebrated, building faith and courage among people who find
themselves in uncertain and difficult circumstances. So keep an eye out for God!
And don’t be afraid to name and celebrate what might just be the work of God in
our midst.
Stellar-Boo is pleased to be photographed (not). Photo by Lynne
(10 Things For Ministers in Another Lockdown)
Of course, one of the things that we miss in Lockdown is person to person interaction that occurs when we get together in the same physical space. During Lockdown, we don’t get to see each other in three dimensions, to share food and drink together, etc. That’s certainly a loss.
What Lockdown offers in exchange, however, is a different sort of intimacy – one that is from my home to your home. People value such interaction. They like seeing the minister speaking to them from their home office, or kitchen table, or garden or deck.
They also like seeing each other and other congregation members
in such settings.
During Lockdown, we have an opportunity to get into the homes of several people at once, and to invite them into our homes, without needing to do any dishes! As we do, we open ourselves to them and them to us in new ways.
So, invite people to share pictures of their home office and
school set ups. Share your own. It’s good if it’s not pristine – perhaps it is
even a little chaotic. Talk about where
you are and why. As I type this, I’m blessed to have space to work in our older
daughter’s room. She’s studying in the UK, and so I used her room for my Research
Leave, and come back up here (from Steve’s and my shared office) when I have a
meeting. I’ve had meetings on and off all day, so it wasn’t worth moving back
downstairs. Stellar-Boo the cat often comes to visit.
Open up your home to others, and get others talking about
their own space. It is a gift to encounter one another in such ways, and it is
missed when it is lost through staged settings.
Ironically, I’d already chosen this heading for today. Be
good enough. Donald Winnicott wrote decades ago about the “good enough” mother.
Look it up. It’s an encouragement to not stress about our imperfection.
I’m a perfectionist. One of the things I am learning, is to be “good enough”. To not be paralysed, or overworked, by the desire to be perfect.
Therefore, because it is already after 6pm (6.17pm now) and I (literally) have cold feet, have worked plenty of hours already today, and would like to do some exercise before dinner, I am going to write a “good enough” blog post and leave it there.
Be good enough. Create online worship that is good enough. Care for people in ways that are good enough. Perfection is unattainable.
One of the pastors I interviewed was guided by the question: “How much is enough?” It’s a great question.
Before covid, one of three key motivations for engaging in
online church was a desire to connect. The online space provides opportunities
for genuine community to be formed, including between people who are otherwise
separated by distance, disability, ideology, or – now – pandemic. More than a
platform for broadcasting a message, the internet is a place of connection: a
social network.
As humans, made in the image of the relational God, it’s
natural that we seek connection. And this connection is not passive but active.
During covid, it takes more intentionality to stay connected. We’re less likely
to encounter friends and acquaintances in the supermarket or on the street. We
need to make a particular effort to reach out to one another. But don’t we need
it? Those moments of interaction?
In the context of Sunday worship, connection requires more
than passive viewing and can be enhanced by inviting participation. It might be
as simple as inviting participants to respond to questions by commenting or posting
in the chat. Or there could be a way of reporting back after an offline
activity undertaken in bubble groups.
As I watched and analysed online services, I noticed that
over time the level of participation generally decreased. One church partially
dealt with this by having an online host who posted in the chat/comments in
order to facilitate engagement. That was great. But I noticed that it was
engagement that built engagement, and there was only so much that one person
could do. Assigning more than one person to the role of engagement officer(!)
would help to build engagement, particularly in larger contexts where it isn’t possible
to have everyone sharing out loud.
It takes more effort but inviting pre-production participation in services can be really effective. And we’re all a whole lot more familiar with recording ourselves, so more people would be able to do so than 18 months ago. In one group that I interviewed, they laughed as they told me that they liked hearing from people who weren’t “paid” to talk about the hope that they had in Christ. That is, they appreciated hearing from people who weren’t on the church’s payroll.
So invite participation and encourage connection. If you’re inviting online synchronous engagement, (eg through chat, comments or breakout rooms), make sure that you have people skilled and assigned to facilitate that engagement.
If what you’re offering online is pre-recorded, perhaps comments can still be made, or there might be a spot on your website or social media, where participants might share an insight later. Including (with permission, of course) photos of (or from) church members, or short video greetings or reflections helps to keep people feeling that sense of connection, as well as participating in meaningful ways.
Take the opportunity to prioritise connection and invite
participation.
It’s all very well to remember that God loves us, but it’s
hard, right? There’s uncertainty and the attendant lack of control. People are
sick. People are at risk. We’re stuck at home. Many are trying to do our usual
work. Many have children to care for. Many have parents they are concerned
about. We’re not sure when this will end. Will this end? How long will we need
to live like this? How long?
Just as we’re invited to look back, to draw on past strength;
to live into and out of our values; to lean into God, we’re also invited to name
the challenge. There’s a good amount of that in the Bible! Lament. I write in an
upcoming article (citing Robert Beamish): “Those who suffer need time to
acknowledge the reality of their suffering.” We shouldn’t rush past the pain.
Rather, we name it. Hold space for it.
There are rich resources in the Hebrew scriptures that we can
draw on: Psalms of Lament, the book of Lamentations, for example. Lament doesn’t
prematurely move to explanations or solutions that fail to touch the heart. Preaching
at such a time can create space to honestly talk about both God and about the
context that we find ourselves in. Naming the difficulty of the current reality.
Not rushing towards a solution. Sitting with the pain. Not because there is no
hope, but because we humans need space to acknowledge our big feelings. To name
them before God.
Figure by Madeline, gifted by Marjory, photographed by Lynne
Over the last couple of days, I’ve encouraged us to look
back and draw on past strength, and to look back and draw on the values of your
church. The former helps build personal well-being in these difficult days, and
the latter helps orient and focus pastoral leaders, when the possibilities are
many and the energy is lacking.
Today, we’re looking back again: but instead of looking back
to ourselves or to our church, we’re looking back to God: to how we’ve known
God to act in the past, and who we know God to be.
In the Bible reading plan I follow, I was reading Psalm 56
on Friday. While I’m not feeling trampled on by others at the moment, I did do
a bit of tossing and turning the previous night as I struggled to sleep. So verse
8 was a comfort to read: “You have kept count of my tossings; put my tears in a
bottle.” There’s comfort as I look way back to these ancient songs: to others who
have named God’s presence and activity. The idea of God knowing that I struggled
to sleep was comforting. I wasn’t alone in the night. And the image of God capturing
and storing my tears speaks to me of tenderness and care.
So, I look way back, and lean into God. Into the comfort of
God, whose presence has been declared since the beginning. Into the comfort of
God, whose presence I have known. Today’s image is of a FIMO piece (signed by “Madeline”,
with the verse Isaiah 51:16 inscribed on the bottom). It was gifted to me by a lovely
friend when I was in hospital years ago. As I look at it, I remember God’s presence
with me then. And I trust in God’s presence with me today.
May the same be true for you. Remember, God loves you. Lean
into God.
How might you encourage others in your church to also remember
God’s never-ending faithfulness? Perhaps with stories shared? Perhaps with
songs offered and scriptures read? Perhaps with an invitation for them to
recall a time that was difficult for them, yet when they knew or trusted God to
be with them. God is the source of our life and our hope. We can lean into God.
Yesterday, I encouraged you to look back and remember what
helped you get through the first Lockdown last year. We can draw on our past
strength as we face our current reality. We can lean into, or perhaps reinstate,
things that were helpful last time around.
There’s a second kind of looking back that I want to encourage
today (and it’s the second of three, so come back tomorrow for more!). This one
is for you as a church, more than it is for you individually.
I encourage you to look back and live into, and out of, your
values as a church. I saw this clearly demonstrated in one of the churches that
I included in my case studies of covid responses. As I analysed data from their
church services, interviews, and focus groups, I realised that I was hearing echoes
of their values in the actions that they took and the words that they spoke.
It’s how values should work, right? They both reflect who we
are as churches and provide a framework by which to discern future actions. We
can ask questions like: Does this fit with our values?
There’s a whole load of resourcing and possibilities out
there: a seemingly infinite number of ways you might respond to covid. Creative
ideas for online worship. Pastoral care initiatives that could be implemented.
Ways that you might engage with the wider community. I reckon it’d be pretty easy
to get overwhelmed, or perhaps to feel inadequate, that you’re not doing
enough.
Our values help hold us and guide us. If you’re a small church
that prioritises community, make connecting a priority in whatever you do this
week. You don’t need gorgeous visuals and cleverly-worded preaching. Open up space
to share with one another. Build connections. Build on your strengths.
If you value being connected with the wider community, come
together online for a quick chat, reminding people of that value, and then send
everyone off to check in with (online of course) their neighbours. Then come
back 30 minutes later for a final catch up.
If you particularly emphasise preaching, pull out the key
points of your last two or three sermons and invite discussion of what they might
have to say in our current situation. If your church is feeling the loss of sung
worship, invite a couple of people to share about why a particular song is
their favourite. And then play it.
It doesn’t need to be massive. It doesn’t need to be amazing.
It just needs to be you.
If you’re not sure of your values, perhaps that is something
you could explore together one Sunday. Asking people to share what it is that
they value about your church. Mentimeter polls are fun here. You can build a
word cloud of the values that are named the most frequently. (When I say YOU, I
mean you can set it up to happen automatically.)
There was a sense of déjà vu for me as we ate our lunch and listened to the 1pm media briefing aka TheAshley and Jacinda Show. We started another jigsaw puzzle, cos that’s what we did last time. I remember it providing an opportunity to do something different, restful, non-demanding. As I journaled this morning, I tried to recall what had helped me get through Lockdown last time. I remembered the increasing birdsong, and so I listened a little closer to the birds today. (Ooh! Two, no three(!) kereru just flew by and landed in the tree outside my office.)
Of course, having been here before, we’re also more aware of what is involved in pivoting to online, and navigating working from home. That can certainly make us feel tired. But we also have a whole lot more resources, we know a lot more now than we did eighteen months ago. Don’t lose sight of that!
We can remember that we’ve already survived this. We made it through last time (or, for Tāmaki Makaurau, last times). We will make it through again.
What helped you last time? Draw on that past strength. What helped you personally? Do you need to reach out and ask for help from someone? What helped you spiritually? See how you can build that in to today or tomorrow. You don’t need to give more than you have.
Look back. Find strength in knowing that you’ve been here before and have made it though. This too shall pass.
