FAITH IN NZ
As numbers of Kiwi Christians keep falling, report gives some pointers about how the Church can re-engage with New Zealanders. Chris Reed reports Why fewer Kiwis are going to church
Leaders of the Catholic Church in New Zealand say they “humbly acknowledge” their shortcomings, especially with groups such as LGBT and migrant communities.
The comment was in a statement by Cardinal John Dew, Catholic Archbishop of Wellington and vicepresident of the New Zealand Catholic Bishops Conference (NZCBC), in response to new research showing a sharp decline in the percentage of New Zealanders who identify as Christian.
He said the NZCBC “humbly acknowledge our shortcomings, especially with regards to particular groups in society, such as the LGBT community who have felt a very real sense of rejection through the Church, or perhaps in falling short in fully meeting the needs of our recent migrant communities”.
“We hear too the call of those who want to see our actions speak louder than our words, by living out the values that Jesus represents. The findings from this survey speak to Pope Francis’ latest exhortation, in which he says ‘ we are all called to be holy by living our lives with love and by bearing witness in everything we do, wherever we find ourselves’.”
The research is in a report titled Faith and Belief and New Zealand and commissioned by the Wilberforce Foundation, a Christian organisation.
It found 55 per cent of Kiwis do not identify with a “main religion” and one in three identify as Christian, down from 49 per cent at the 2006 Census. The “Church’s teaching on homosexuality” is the biggest blocker to New Zealanders engaging with Christianity, the report says.
Dew’s reference to the LGBT community chimes with a column by the Catholic Bishop of Auckland, Patrick Dunn, published last year.
In a piece titled “Building a bridge, our gay brothers and sisters” in NZ Catholic, he wrote that he, like many others, has gay friends and family and described how he had been troubled for years by the sense of rejection they feel within the Church. “Deeply embedded in Catholic Church teaching is the call to stand by all who feel marginalised or threatened.”
New Zealand is becoming less religious, exhibiting a sharp fall in the numbers who identify as Christian. A new report, Faith and Belief in New Zealand, says a third of Kiwis identify with Christianity, down from 43 per cent in the 2013 Census and 49 per cent in the 2006 Census.
The results of the 2018 Census are yet to be released.
Twenty per cent have spiritual beliefs but don’t identify with any main religion and 35 per cent identify with no religion or spiritual belief.
The remainder identify with other religions, including Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam and Judaism.
The report was commissioned by the Wilberforce Foundation, an Auckland-based Christian group.
The report says New Zealand’s “youth as a nation and resulting lack of religious tradition” could be one reason for the rise of secularism.
“Perhaps the increasing busyness of modern day life or the emphasis on individualism and self-created identity have also had an impact.”
Older New Zealanders are more likely to identify with Christianity, and younger generations are more likely to not identify with any religion or spiritual belief.
Of New Zealand’s three most populous regions (Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch), Auckland has the lowest proportion of residents who identify with Christianity, suggesting migration may be another factor.
Chris Clarke, former chief executive of World Vision NZ and now adviser to the Wilberforce Foundation, said the report confirmed what many church leaders already knew.
“We talk to Christian leaders, pastors, church ministers and so on, and intuitively they would have seen pretty much everything that’s in this report. They’re seeing their communities and congregations every week.
“Really importantly, what it’s done is give some quite clear pointers about how the Christian Church can re-engage with society in New Zealand. It’s a wonderful opportunity, but they have to re-engage in very different ways.”
Those pointers include many New Zealanders remaining open to exploring religion and spirituality. The report says that given the right circumstances and evidence, 12 per cent would be very open to changing their views. A further 42 per cent would be somewhat or slightly open.
New Zealanders are most likely to be attracted to exploring religion and spirituality by seeing people live out a genuine faith. They perceive Christians as caring, faithful and kind, and value disaster relief and other charitable work done by the Church and Christian organisations.
There was belief, particularly among younger people, that Ma¯ori culture and understanding of spirituality has influenced Kiwi values.
Most New Zealanders positively connect Jesus with love.
Perceptions towards Jesus are often quite positive; non-Christians suggest he is relatable, approachable and gracious.
But there are major hurdles. Church “teaching on homosexuality” is the biggest blocker to engaging with Christianity, cited by 47 per cent. Almost as many are influenced by the idea that a loving God would allow people to go to hell (45 per cent).
When it comes to perceptions of Christians and Christianity, church abuse has the greatest negative influence. Christians not practising what they preach is the second biggest. Many New Zealanders have little to no engagement with Christians or the Church. Nine per cent don’t know any Christians. More than one in five know nothing about the Church in New Zealand, and 56 per cent don’t know their local church well. Clarke said the report contained “hard truths” and the Church had to be realistic about its role. “Although 33 per cent of the population affiliate with Christianity, 9 per cent of the population go to church pretty well every week so we are a minority in New Zealand society and that needs to be reflected in how we engage with society.”
The foundation’s general manager, Carl Vink, said the report represented a challenge to the Church. “If you’re not happy about numbers, what are you going to do about it?”
There was broad consensus in reaction from representatives of Christian organisations; they echoed the need to be active in the community; there was talk of humility, listening, engaging and living beliefs.
The Anglican Bishop of Wellington, the Right Reverend Justin Duckworth, believed the Anglican Church had to redefine its relationship with society. The Church’s “core business” had to be participation in the community.
Duckworth believed the church could play a role in several key areas. They included the “self-centredness” that created problems like climate change; deep social isolation and loneliness; emotional trauma and anxiety, particularly among those under 50; a desire for hope; and a “deep, deep desire for authenticity”.
He said the survey pointed to the way respondents identified with the non-violent approach of Jesus and said that could help find a way through conflict.
“It’s a great conversation. It’s what I spend my life thinking about.”
Dean Rush, senior leader and pastor at the C3 Church, which has five campuses in Auckland and Whanga¯rei, said community work was key to attracting more people to his organisation — including throwing free parties at low-decile schools and helping run anti-suicide programmes in high schools.
“We’ve just got to find ways to show that positive force of what we’re
It’s a great conversation. It’s what I spend my life thinking about. Right Reverend Justin Duckworth Anglican Bishop of Wellington