Look at the census data and you’ll believe the Catholic, Anglican, Uniting and Presbyterian churches are the largest in Australia. Lots of people identify with these churches.
Look at popular thinking and you might believe that the Pentecostal juggernaut is sweeping all before it.
But when it comes to bums on seats where do people go. The Christian Research Association has analysed the census data and social surveys to estimate who is involved in the life of their church once a month or more. The results may surprise you.
The Catholic Church is far and away the biggest. They put almost as many bums on seats as everyone else put together. The Anglican Church comes next with just over 200,00o people actively involved, and the Baptists are third.
Interestingly, for all their profile, the Pentecostal churches have only the fifth largest number of bums on seats.
All up, over 3 million Australians are involved monthly or more, making church going one of the most significant activities in Australia’s social life.
Scott – great stats, but you need a pic of the prosteriors sitting on the seats, not a row of empty seats
Hi Martin,
Yes a pic of bums on seats would be better
Scott – great stats, but you need a pic of the prosteriors sitting on the seats, not a row of empty seats!
surprising results, the catholics are doing something right they are way ahead, i new they would be first but surprised by how much, and i like many others surprised the pentecostal church was down in 5th with around 150,000 attending, interesting survey.
Hi Nerida,
Back in the 90s when I was youth pastor at Caringbah Baps, I did a survey of local churches to gauge attendances and the local Catholic churches had more attendees than every other church combined
The Catholics get more because they have a flawed gospel. The priest replaces Jesus Christ so they have to go for forgivness which is error. 1 Tim 2:5 – For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus.
Hi Fred,
Not sure a flawed gospel is the reason Catholic church gets most attendance…and I suspect we all have a flawed gospel in one way or another