Ruth Powell, director of National Church Life Survey, has written an insightful article about the increasing gap between the age of people in the Australian population and the age of people in churches. A brief summary. . ..
In 1966 there was no discernable difference in the church-going habits of different age groups in the Australian population.
Since then, younger people have been less and less likely to attend church. In the chart above, the darker line shows the shift from the 2001 NCLS data. The curve representing the Australian population is on the left.
Basically, the church in Australia is growing older. Young people are less likely to be involved in Church life. And this is not a trend that is reversing but increasing.
While some denominations (notably the Pentecostals and "Other Protestant" - smaller groups and independent churches) are bucking the trend, this is a worrying sign for the future of church life in Australia and one that every church board and ministry team needs to consider.
View the entire article at http://www.ncls.org.au/default.aspx?sitemapid=6249
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