Faith and Church Attendance in Australia in 2026

THRIVING TOGETHER BLOG INTRO

For many years, I have shared both the pain and joys of those who work with churches. Like many of you, I have often wondered if there are better ways to thrive together and make a missional impact on our world. It’s not about trying harder; it’s about doing different things in new ways. This involves interrupting our routines and reflecting on our practices.

As a pastoral supervisor, trainer, lecturer, and consultant for churches and non-profits, I strive to provide valuable insights. I hope my posts serve as refreshing water for those planted in churches and leading denominations so we can thrive together.

Please let me know your thoughts in the comments. Or you can reach out to me through my website: www.ianduncum.com.au.

FAITH AND CHURCH ATTENDANCE IN AUSTRALIA IN 2026

Since last year, conversation about faith, spirituality, and church life in Australia has only intensified. The Bible Society UK report The Quiet Revival sparked renewed interest in what might be happening beneath the surface, and Australian media and churches have continued to ask whether there is a quiet—but real—reshaping of Christian faith in our context.

While search data, surveys and anecdotal reports each give only part of the picture, together they suggest that 2026 is not simply “more of the same.” The landscape is still marked by long‑term decline in identification, but also by surprising pockets of spiritual curiosity, conversion, and creative experimentation in church life.

Digital interest and quiet curiosity

Online search patterns for terms related to “Christianity” in Australia continue to show a modest but noticeable rise since early 2022, with shorter bursts of heightened interest around major public events, moments of crisis, or high‑profile debates touching on faith, ethics, and meaning.​

This kind of data does not prove revival, but it does suggest:

• Spiritual questions are not going away, even as formal religious identification declines.​

• People are increasingly exploring faith digitally first—searching, sampling online content, and attending online or hybrid church before turning up in person.​

Behind the numbers is what many pastors describe as a “slow burn” of quiet curiosity: people who may not tick “Christian” on the census but who are reading, listening, and occasionally turning up.​

Ongoing decline in Christian identification

The long-term trend remains clear: the proportion of Australians who identify as Christian continues to fall. The 2021 census showed Christian identification at 44% (down from 61% in 2011), with “no religion” the fastest-growing category. Subsequent commentary and projections indicate that this trajectory is continuing.

Key observations:

• The decline is sharpest among younger cohorts and in capital cities.​

• Many people are moving not from deep Christian practice to atheism, but from loose affiliation to “no religion” or “spiritual but not religious.”​

• For a growing number, the question is not “Is God real?” but “Is organised religion worth my time?”​

None of this is surprising. It is the continuation of decades‑long secularisation, now accelerating as generational change flows through the population.​

The “hidden undercurrent”: people finding faith

Alongside this decline, research drawing on census shifts and church reports continues to highlight a significant, if smaller, counter‑current: Australians who move from “no religion” to Christianity.​

Recent analysis has suggested:

• Hundreds of thousands of Australians over the last census period shifted from “no religion” to Christian identification.​

• Many of these are older Australians—especially over 55—who encounter faith or return to it in the face of bereavement, illness, grandparenting, or retirement.​

• There are also younger adults who come to faith through relationships, Alpha‑type environments, university ministries, and culturally diverse congregations.

The overall numbers do not cancel out the wider decline, but they remind us that the story is not one‑directional. People are still becoming Christians in 2026. The traffic is moving both ways.

From denominational labels to “just Christian”

Denominational identification continues to soften:

• Many who attend church now describe themselves simply as “Christian” rather than as “Anglican,” “Uniting,” “Baptist,” or “Pentecostal.”

• This reflects both a drift from institutional loyalty and the influence of non‑denominational, multicultural, and network‑based churches.

• For some, denominational labels feel more like internal church language than lived identity.​

This does not mean denominations no longer matter—structures, property, governance, and theological traditions still shape much of Australian church life—but at the level of personal identity, there is a clear move toward a simpler, less tribal Christian self‑description.​

Church attendance: smaller, steadier core

Despite falling Christian affiliation, regular church attendance has been comparatively stable, though at a low base.

After a sharp pandemic-driven dip, weekly church attendance has rebounded. NCLS Research estimates that around 1.3 million Australians were attending church weekly in 2024, up from just over one million in 2021, representing about 86% of 2001 levels.

Those who have newly embraced Christian faith or returned after years away tend, on average, to show higher engagement: regular prayer, Bible reading, small-group participation, and volunteering. In a culture where nominal Christianity is fading, those who remain or arrive are, in many cases, more intentional.

NCLS survey work also suggests that while only a minority attend weekly, around one in five Australians report attending religious services at least occasionally, with a further 30% attending infrequently (from once a year to less than yearly).

Denominational attendance patterns

Recovery has not been uniform across traditions. Drawing on NCLS-related analysis of 2024 attendance:

• Catholic attendance is estimated at about 572,000 weekly attenders (around 44% of all churchgoers), roughly 92% of 2016 levels.​

• Pentecostal churches have around 245,600 weekly attenders (about 19% of all churchgoers), roughly 96% of 2016 levels.​

• Mainstream Protestant churches (Anglican, Uniting, Presbyterian, Lutheran) have about 236,800 weekly attenders (around 18%), roughly 74% of 2016 levels.​

• Other Protestant churches (including Baptist, Churches of Christ, Salvation Army, Seventh-day Adventist and various independent / evangelical groups) total around 250,800 weekly attenders (about 19%), slightly above their 2001 attendance levels.

Over the 2011–2016 period, NCLS estimated that around half of Australian Protestant churches declined by 10% or more in attendance, while almost one third grew by 10% or more and the remainder were relatively stable. This pattern of many churches under strain alongside a substantial minority experiencing growth still seems to describe the post‑2020 landscape.

Generational shifts

The generational picture remains mixed and complex:

• Older adults: Many in their 50s, 60s and beyond are re‑engaging with Christian faith, sometimes through more traditional congregations, sometimes through Alpha, grief courses, or pastoral care connections.​

• Younger adults: A significant proportion continue to drift away or keep faith at arm’s length, citing irrelevance, hypocrisy, or simply lack of connection. Yet there is also a minority of younger Australians who find faith compelling, often drawn by a search for meaning, community, justice, and embodied spirituality.

• Children and youth: In many churches, the number of families and young people is fragile but not absent. Where congregations invest intentionally in intergenerational ministry, youth leadership, and safe, vibrant spaces, there are stories of growth and resilience.​

In short: younger Aussies are less likely to be Christian by default—but some are becoming Christian by conviction.

New forms: multisite, plants, and micro‑expressions

The structural landscape of the Australian church continues to evolve:

• Multisite and networked models: More churches are experimenting with hubs, campuses, and networks rather than a single large gathering. This allows for local expression with shared leadership, teaching, and resources.

• Church planting and replanting: Church planting remains a major mode of outreach. Some plants grow into planting churches themselves, forming networks. Replanting—in which a struggling congregation is renewed with fresh leadership and a new vision—is also increasingly common.

• Micro‑churches and missional communities: In some contexts, smaller, neighbourhood‑based expressions are emerging alongside or instead of traditional Sunday-centred models, particularly among younger adults and culturally diverse groups.

Yet closures continue. On the whole, church planting and revitalisation have not yet outpaced decline, but they are making a real difference in particular regions and networks. The key factor is often not the model itself, but the health, missional clarity, and adaptability of the local leadership and congregation.

Public perception and Christian values

Attitudinal research still finds a nuanced picture:

• Many Australians, including those who tick “no religion,” hold values that align closely with Christian ethics—around forgiveness, compassion, care for the vulnerable, and the importance of community.

• At the same time, institutional trust remains fragile. Experiences of abuse, hypocrisy, or politicisation of faith can create deep barriers.​

• People are often more open to Jesus and the Gospels than to “church” as they have experienced or imagined it.

In other words, Christianity has both liabilities and assets in the public imagination. The way Christians live and speak in everyday life matters at least as much as any program or campaign.

So, what does this mean for churches in 2026?

Several implications stand out.

1. Change how we “do church”

With many congregations plateaued or declining, and others growing, it is increasingly clear that local practice matters. How churches:

• welcome newcomers,

• disciple believers,

• empower lay leaders,

• engage with their neighbourhood (see this course: https://www.ianduncum.com.au/challenges),

• and adapt structurally to their context

has a tangible impact. Societal trends shape the conditions, but they are not destiny. Growth is possible where churches are humble, learning, and willing to change.

2. Take spiritual curiosity seriously

There is more spiritual searching in Australia than headline secularisation stories might suggest. Churches that:

• listen carefully,

• offer safe spaces for questions (e.g. Alpha, discussion groups, pastoral conversations),

• make use of digital front doors (online services, podcasts, social media, search‑friendly content),

are better placed to meet people where they actually are.

3. Be genuinely missional

To be missional in 2026 is not to bolt on an outreach program, but to:

• cultivate congregations where everyday faith-sharing is normal and gentle,

• equip people to bear witness in workplaces, families, and communities,

• and orient ministries outward, not just inward.

This includes paying careful attention to justice, mercy, and holistic witness, not only proclamation.

4. Innovate like it’s 2026, not 1996

Some churches are still operating as if the cultural default is churchgoing and Christian literacy. It isn’t. To love our neighbours well now, we need to:

• communicate clearly for people with little background in Christian story or language;

• trial new forms (multisite, micro‑church, digital ministry, fresh expressions) that fit our local context;

• and hold lightly to forms while holding firmly to the gospel.

Final reflections

Australia’s religious story in 2026 is one of both decline and discovery. Nominal Christianity is receding, but that may, in time, make space for a leaner, more authentic, more missional church. The task for local congregations and leaders is not to nostalgically defend a fading Christendom, but to discern what the Spirit is doing now—and to join in, with courage, creativity, and hope.

© 2026 Ian Duncum. All rights reserved. No reproduction without written permission. Rev Dr Ian Duncum is a trained and accredited church consultant with over 20 years of experience with non-profit enterprises and churches across several denominations. This includes denominational leadership in church health, church planting, consultancy training, and adjunct lecturing & research in the tertiary education sector. An accredited minister with a track record of growing churches, Ian trains church consultants, facilitates training for ministers and leaders, and supervises pastors and other leaders. Ian can be contacted at ian@ianduncum.com.au.