Finding a Way Forward - Dr Ruth Powell - Friday 22 Aug, Proclaim 2014

Trends in Evangelisation

Finding a Way Forward

© 2012 NCLS Research

Dr Ruth Powell

Director, NCLS Research

Associate Professor, ACU

www.ncls.org.au

Proclaim Conference 22nd August 2014

Powell, R. (2014). Trends in Evangelisation: Finding a Way Forward. NCLS Research Report. NCLS Research. Sydney.

National Church Life Surveys – www.ncls.org.au

Surveys of church attenders & leaders. Five waves: 1991, 1996, 2001, 2006 and 2011. E.g. Participants in the 2011 NCLS • 3000+ local churches • 260 000+ individuals • 23 denominations • 8 languages

Primary Sponsors

23+ Participating Churches

Anglican

Apostolic

Australian Christian Churches

Baptist

Brethren

Catholic

Christian Missionary Alliance

C3 Churches

COC Australia

Congregational

CRC Churches International Church of the Nazarene Churches of Christ Four Square Gospel Lutheran IPMF Presbyterian Christian Reformed Churches Salvation Army Seventh-day Adventist Uniting Church Vineyard Fellowship Worldwide Church of God and Independent congregations, House churches and other Christian communities

National Church Life Surveys (NCLS) Largest database on church life in the world

2011 NCLS - Protestant: 2062 churches, Catholic: 254 parishes.

Figure: The religiosity of Australians: belonging, beliefs and behaviour

There have been major changes in the broader context that impact on all churches. There has been a decline in the religiosity of Australians.

Trend 1: Major changes in the broader context

Q. Which of the following best

describes your readiness to talk to

others about your faith?

a. I do not have faith, so the

question is not applicable

b I do not like to talk about my faith;

my life and actions are sufficient

c I find it hard to talk about my faith

in ordinary language

d I mostly feel at ease talking about

my faith and do so if it comes up

e I feel at ease talking about my faith

and look for opportunities to do so

Readiness to share faith

Lack faith/NA, 1

Life and actions sufficient, 17

Hard to express in ordinary

language, 15

At ease if occasion arises,

52

Look for opportunities,

15

Trend 2: An increase in readiness to share faith

Most are at ease: One in seven (15%) of Catholic Mass attenders feel at

ease talking about their faith and look for opportunities to do so.

Source: 2011 NCLS Attender Survey - Catholic

Attenders who are at ease and look for

opportunities to share faith are:

• highly involved in church life

• experiencing personal growth in faith

• helping people in practical ways

1

17

15

52

15

1

8

21

52

18

0 10 20 30 40 50 60

Lack faith/NA

Life and actions sufficient

Hard to express in ordinary language

At ease if occasion arises

Look for opportunities

%

Protestant 2011

Catholic 2011

Catholic 2006

Catholic 2001

Which of the

following best

describes your

readiness to

talk to others

about your

faith?

Readiness to share faith: comparisons

Source: 2001, 2006, 2011 NCLS - Catholic Church and 2011 NCLS - Protestant

Similar to Protestants: Similar proportions of Catholic (15%) &

Protestant (18%) attenders look for opportunities.

Changes in the past decade: There has been an increase in the

proportion who look for opportunities and a decline in those who think

that life and actions are sufficient.

Source: 2006 NCLS Operations Survey – 188 responses from Catholic sample parishes

%

Catholic 11

Anglican 13

Baptist 24

Churches of Christ 21

Lutheran 12

Pentecostal 28

Presbyterian 25

Salvation Army 15

Uniting 5

All Churches 17

Has this parish

offered significant

training for lay

people in the

following leadership

or ministry roles in

the past 2 years?

(Mark ALL that

apply)

Outreach/

evangelisation role

Some Protestant churches offer training.

Readiness to share faith: provision of training

From an individual focus to a community focus

“The parish is where the Church lives. Parishes are communities of faith, of action and of hope. They are where the gospel is proclaimed and celebrated, where believers are formed and sent to renew the earth. Parishes are the home of the Christian community; they are the heart of our Church.” - US National Conference of Catholic

Bishops (Source: Rebuilt, preface)

Evangelisation requires the involvement of the whole faith community.

Christians understand themselves to be called into a relationship with God, with others in the church and with the wider community.

Nine Core Qualities of Church Life

Internal Core Qualities The inner life of the community of faith

Inspirational Core Qualities Relate to leadership and direction

Outward Core Qualities How churches focus beyond themselves

Churches that are effective in evangelisation have built up a range of Core Qualities that contribute to overall vitality.

Trend 3. Effective churches are reorienting themselves to ‘newcomers’

Newcomers: Attenders who were not attending any church five years ago. Includes first-timers and returnees.

Defining the ‘newcomer’

Nerida is 46 years old, married, employed and has a university degree. Her mother was a significant influence on her faith, but she hasn’t been attending church in recent years. Nerida has been feeling there was something missing and also wanted her children to learn about God. She didn’t shop around, but went to her local parish, after a friend invited her. She is not sure what she believes, but goes to Mass to worship God, share in the Eucharist, pray and reflect. She has been growing in her faith this year and puts this down to the life and witness of everyone at her parish.

A profile of Nerida, the Catholic newcomer

What would your parish look like if it was focused on Nerida?

Each week Nerida’s chair came that little bit closer…

Newcomers and Denominational Differences

Source: 2011 National Church Life Survey

Newcomers are found in congregations of all sizes and across all denominations.

11.0%

8.1%

7.6%

7.5%

5.9%

3.7%

3.4%

5.8%

0.0% 2.0% 4.0% 6.0% 8.0% 10.0% 12.0%

Pentecostal

Anglican

Other Protestant

Baptist/ Churches of Christ

Uniting

Lutheran

Catholic

TOTAL

Half of all Catholic newcomers are in their 30s and 40s.

Average age The average age of a Catholic newcomer is 46 years old. Comparisons: Baptist - 40 years Pentecostal – 35 years

Source: 2011 NCLS Attender Survey - Catholic newcomer

5

10

25 24

15 12

7

2 0

5

10

15

20

25

30

15-19 20-29 30-39 40-49 50-59 60-69 70-79 80+

Age of Catholic newcomers: 2011

Age group

Catholic newcomers: age profile

39%

33%

30% 32% 34% 36% 38% 40%

Newcomer

Overall

Degree

Newcomers are most commonly…: The most common characteristics of

Catholic newcomers are that they are female (56%), married (68%), university educated (36%) and Australian-born (68%).

Compared to all Mass attenders, newcomers are closer to the ‘average Australian’. They are more likely to be: • male • separated or divorced • university educated

44%

39%

34% 36% 38% 40% 42% 44% 46%

Newcomer

Overall

Male

10%

6%

0% 5% 10% 15%

Newcomer

Overall

Separated/divorced

Catholic newcomers: demographic profile

Source: 2011 NCLS Attender Survey - Catholic newcomer

Education & friends • Religious ed. teacher/chaplain (16%) • School teacher (13%) • Peers/friends (10%) Church contacts • Minister/priest of a local church (7%) • Sunday school teachers (7%)

‘The most significant people to show me what faith was about’:

Catholic newcomers: significant people for faith

The role of parents and family is critical for all

2011 NCLS Catholic new arrivals = Newcomers not previously in a parish/ switchers from another denomination/visitors who do not attend elsewhere

Parents • Mother (77%) • Father (48%) Other family • Spouse (16%) • Grandparents (16%) • Other family (16%)

Catholic newcomers: Why you came to this church

In the 12 months before starting at their current parish, 34% didn’t visit or attend any other church and 34% visited one other church.

Do Catholic newcomers shop around? Not really.

What triggers the first church attendance? One in five say ‘Something missing’…

When you began attending a local church again, what situation or event was most important in your decision to attend?:

Top 5 reasons for newcomers (out of ten options): 1. Thought something was missing in my life (19%) 2. Moved to a new area (17%) 3. Wanted my children to have a religious upbringing (14%) 4. Spouse invited me to attend/accompanied spouse (11%) 5. Felt guilty about not attending (8%).

2011 NCLS Catholic new arrivals = Newcomers not previously in a parish/ switchers from another denomination/visitors who do not attend elsewhere

Top 5 reasons that Catholic new arrivals give for attending: 1. To worship/experience God (58%), 2. To share in the Eucharist (35%) 3. I need a time of prayer or reflection (30%) 4. To make sure my children are exposed to the faith (15%). 5. To learn more about the faith (10%) People could choose two options from a list of 12.

What are the main reasons you attend church services? To experience God

Catholic newcomers are growing in faith mainly due to church worship services Newcomers were most likely to say the church was the source of their growth in faith in the previous year (34% vs 19% overall).

Catholic newcomers: Views about worship services

2011 NCLS Catholic new arrivals = Newcomers not previously in a parish/ switchers from another denomination/visitors who do not attend elsewhere

Source: 2006 NCLS - Catholic Church

Parishes with plans to help integration

Once a person has joined your parish, are there any

planned procedures designed to ensure that he or she

becomes integrated into the life of the parish?

Catholic

2001

Catholic

2006

Catholic

2011

Protestant

2006

Follow-up visits by clergy or others from parish 46 39 34 70

Invitation to join a social, faith discussion or other

group 31 41 35 59

People extend hospitality and invite them for meals 14 11 16 55

Invitation to take up a task within the life and

ministry of the church 46 55 52 42

A group or course for new Christians / orientation

programs for new members 4 3 5 22

Other (please specify) 11 5 5 3

At least one of the above 72 75 74 88

Protestants use a range of ways to intentionally help integration. Here are some ideas:

Source: 2001, 2006 & 2011 NCLS Operations Survey

Trend 4: There has been an increase in acts of service

Trend 4: An increase in acts of service

Figure: Involved in church‐based community service, justice or welfare activities

46

48

52

42

43

44

45

46

47

48

49

50

51

52

53

2001 2006 2011

%

Catholic attenders

Figure: Attenders who informally helped others in three or more ways

In both Protestant and Catholic parishes more attenders are …

• serving others informally

• involved in local church-based activities related to community service,

justice of welfare.

Informal = lent money, cared for sick, helped in personal crisis, visited person in hospital, gave away possessions, donated money, contacted MP

24

20

25

29 31

13 15 15

18

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

1991 1996 2001 2006 2011

Church‐based - Protestant

Church‐based - Catholic

Source: 1991 NCLS, 1996 NCLS/CCLS, 2001 NCLS, 2006 NCLS and 2011 NCLS - Attender Survey

The way forward is the integration of both word and deed.

Trend 5: A decline in inviting people to church

Inviting others to church

Q. Would you be prepared to invite

to a church service here any of

your friends and relatives who do

not currently attend a church?

a. Yes, and I have done so in the

past 12 months

b. Yes, but I have not done so in

the past 12 months

d. No, probably not

e. No definitely not

c. Don’t know

Source: 2011 NCLS - Catholic Attender Survey

20

2

18

34

27

11

1

7

40

41

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45

Don’t know

Definitely wouldn’t invite

Probably wouldn’t invite

Willing, but didn’t invite

Invited in last 12 months

Protestant 2011

Catholic 2011

Catholic 2006

Catholic 2001

Inviting others to church: comparisons

Inviting has declined: In the past decade there has been a decline in the

level of inviting and an increase in ‘don’t know’.

Levels have also declined for Protestants (43% in 2006 to 41% in 2011).

Source: 2001 NCLS, 2006 NCLS and 2011 NCLS - Attender Survey

Some clues from churches 1. Discover a sense of vision and direction 2. Promote a strong sense of belonging among

attenders 3. Focus on people beyond church life 4. Encourage attenders to invite others to church 5. Be an empowering leader 6. Nurture growth in faith and movement

towards commitment 7. Aim for joyful, inspiring services 8. Introduce contemporary worship 9. Encourage informal acts of helping 10. Look after the young 11. Be willing to try new things

The research finds no ‘magic bullet’ to attract newcomers.

What Attracts Newcomers?

Faith-sharing matters for overall

parish vitality. It is strongly

associated with other qualities.

Source: Powell et al, 2012, Enriching Church Life

Summary

Trend Implications

1. There have been major changes in overall context that affect all churches

Everyone is learning what authentic and effective evangelisation looks like in this time and in their place. Churches need to reflect and experiment.

2. There has been an increase in readiness to share faith

* Family members are significant for sharing faith: how are you supporting and equipping them? * There are evangelists in your parishes: Identify and them, support them, celebrate with them, learn from them.

3. Effective churches are reorienting themselves to the newcomer

In many parishes this will be a major shift in culture and will not happen quickly.

4. There has been an increase in acts of service

Building bridges that are authentic points of connection are important. However, we need to guard against being busy servicing consumers.

5. There has been a decline in inviting others to church

This is of concern. What is currently stopping your people from inviting? What needs to change?

Dr Ruth Powell Director, NCLS Research Australian Catholic University [email protected] www.ncls.org.au @NCLSResearch

NCLS Research

Powell, R. (2014). Trends in Evangelisation: Finding a Way Forward. NCLS Research Report. NCLS Research: Sydney.

Rev Ed Vaughan: Edward Vaughan grew up in a Catholic home in Sydney. His faith journey led him to the Anglican church, were he is now a minister. Ed is currently the Senior Minister of St John's Anglican Church in Darlinghurst. Previously he worked as the minister of a Church of Ireland (Anglican) church in Dublin for six years. He is passionate, although somewhat troubled, by the issue of how church and society relates in contemporary Australia. Greta Wells: Greta EC Wells is an Associate Lecturer in Pastoral Studies at Alphacrucis College, Sydney - it is here she teaches 'Communicating the Faith', a subject that aims to reshape Pentecostal engagement with the evangelistic task. Her personal research interests also include ministry within the postmodern context and Pentecostal responses to mental illness. Greta is married to Mark and they attend a charismatic Vineyard church. Rev Pete Davies: Pete has been the Associate Director of Church Development for the NSW & ACT Baptist movement since 2005. He has 15 years in pastoral experience (Hornsby and Hawkesbury Valley) and was the church planter who commenced the church at Hawkesbury Valley. Pete spent 3 years with Ambassadors for Christ before coming into his current role.

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