Peter Lineham is part of the Church Life Survey NZ Committee and a member of Ponsonby Baptist Church in Auckland. He is also a Member of the Order of New Zealand for services to religious history and the community and is Professor Emeritus of History at Massey University. In this article, he provides a deep dive into the most recent Church Life Survey (2023) with a specific ‘Baptist’ view on the results.
One third of New Zealand Baptist churches participated in the survey last year. When Peter mentions “general church figures” or “overall figures”, this refers to the combined survey results across all church denominations, and they are sometimes used to compare specific Baptist figures.
This is our second article on the Church Life Survey, the first being: First response by Mike Crudge (16 November 2023)
Next week (7.30 pm Tuesday, 23 July, and 11 am Thursday, 25 July), the Church Life Survey organisers are offering online training to help the local church facilitators who participated in the survey to gain greater insight into their results. These free 60-minute Zoom sessions will help contextualise results for your setting, and you are welcome to invite as many people as you like from your local church. Click here for registration details.
You can find PDF versions of the Church Life Survey insights booklet and highlights brochure here.
The Church Life Survey of 2023 is unusual because it gives us a glimpse of where the church is at in New Zealand society and enables us to see the similarities and differences of a range of denominations. Above all, it enables us to get a glimpse into the health and wellbeing of local congregations up and down the land. Specifically, it enables local church leaders to assess their congregation and ponder the actuality, which can often be lost in the rhetoric from the front.
The surveys have taken place regularly in census years, or just after, since 1997, based on an Australian questionnaire. As a result, we have significant comparative material that helps us track trends over time and how individual congregations and denominations stand out.
Participation in the Survey
The objective data from the survey is about the attendees. This includes their spread of age, gender, ethnicity, education, locations, employment, family size, and regularity of attendance. 4758 Baptists responded to the survey from 77 churches (a mean of 61.7 per church. Typically, a limited number of members in each congregation took part. Overall, I calculate (using the estimates of average attendance supplied by the churches) that 61.2% of the members of participating congregations filled in the forms. These congregations represent about 26% of total Baptist attendance, and participants represent 15.4% of weekly attendees, giving us a reasonably representative sample of Baptists. (I am working from the 2019 attendance lists, so the total attendance figures have probably dropped since then.) These participation levels can be broken down into the numbers from each of the six regional Baptist Associations.
Northern Baptist Association
There were 2204 participants from 27 participating Northern Baptist Association churches (the geographic area for this association of churches is from Waiuku in the south to Doubtless Bay and Kaitaia in the north), whose average attendance of 3756 represents 17.7% of the average attendance of Northern association churches, including a mixture of large and small churches. Their median age was 54, and 40% were born overseas, including 10.4% from China and 6.7% from the United Kingdom. The sense of strong belonging was low in these churches at 72%, and their figures were down 4% since Covid. There was quite a high level of confidence among attendees at these churches.
Waikato Baptist Association
There were 213 participants from five participating churches in the Waikato Association, whose average attendance was 440, representing 9.1% of attendees in the Association churches, and no large churches participated. (This was the lowest level of participation in any of the six associations – there are 20 faith communities in this region). They had a median age of 68, 26% of them born overseas, and a 5% growth in participation since Covid. The results were solid overall, but there was concern about the provision for children and youth.
Bay of Plenty & Eastland Baptist Association
There were five participating churches from the BOP/Eastland association with 363 participants (out of an average attendance of 614, which is rather low at 10.4% of the total attendance of churches in this region, of which there are 20 churches), with only one church with more than 150 attendees; their median age was 66 and were 23% born overseas (7.5% born in the UK) with a 3% drop in participation since Covid.
Lower North Island Baptist Association
There were 853 from fifteen participating Lower North Island churches, with an average attendance of 1359. Participants comprised 15.9% of the Association’s weekly attendance (52 faith communities are in this region). Participants had a median age of 56, and 25% were born overseas. (Two of these were large churches). The sense of belonging was quite low at 71%, and attendees at some of these churches worried that there were no clear goals.
Upper South Baptist Association
There were 752 from eleven participating churches in the Upper South Association (two of them large) out of 961 attendees in these churches. There are 37 faith communities in this region. The participants were some 13.7% of the average attendance in this district. With a median age of 60, 28% were born overseas, including some very high levels in two churches (and overall, 7% were from the UK, 2.6% from Korea and the same from China) and a 1% growth in participation since Covid. These churches had a high sense of belonging (81%), and overall, the figures were good, but the country churches were very different from the city churches.
Otago & Southland Baptist Association
The Otago and Southland Association had 373 from six participating churches (one of them a large one); that was 13% of the attendees in the district. The median age was 57, and 17% were born overseas. The sense of belonging and spiritual resourcing was high in these churches. There are twelve churches in this region.
Objective Data of Churchgoers
The study is invaluable for those churches that participated. It will enable the leaders to understand congregational resources, congregational shortcomings and congregational expectations. Included is data that gives leaders an understanding of who the congregation are: their spread of age, gender, ethnicity, education, locations, employment, family size, and regularity of attendance. In these figures, leaders can see hints of the likely future of the congregation over the next few years, its likely income base, its human resources, their financial commitment, and the base from which growth may emerge. Leaders of participating churches have online access to this data for their local church.
Ethnic makeup of Baptist churches
Increasingly, the church’s future in New Zealand rests with new migrants, as resistance to faith has grown among Pākehā New Zealanders. So, the ethnic diversity of congregations is a key factor.
Images can be zoomed/enlarged by viewing the website version of this article here rather than the Baptist NZ app version.
Baptist congregations include 4.7% Māori, 7.9% Chinese, and 3.5% Pasifika, compared to 3.7% Māori, 3.9% Chinese and 6.9% Pasifika overall across all churches, but are much more Pākehā than the overall church pattern. Overall, 59.9% of churchgoers were born in New Zealand, compared to 68.2% of Baptists and 72.6% of the general population in the 2018 census (but this proportion will surely be different in the latest census results when they are released). Auckland is different, and 40% of Auckland Baptist attendees were born overseas, a quarter of them from China. But it is the Catholic church which has attracted the largest group of migrants, who now represent 58.8% of all catholic churchgoers and 72% of Auckland Catholic churchgoers.
Age makeup of Baptist churches
The ages of churchgoers are a particular and striking concern. The median age of churchgoers overall is 61, with much higher ages for the former mainstream Protestant churches (Anglican, Presbyterian, Methodist and the uniting congregations). Baptists have a median age of 57, although there are big variations in individual churches. This is a sobering figure, for although only those over the age of 15 took the poll, the average age is about 44, so the church has many more members from the older age groups. The age bands for different denominations are very striking. Even Catholics born in New Zealand are significantly older than the general population. It is important to recall that no Pentecostal denomination took part in the survey, and these figures would probably have been significantly lower than the general Protestant pattern, so we await the 2023 census results to estimate this. Baptist figures are still weighted towards the old, with 44.8% over the age of 60, while 52.9% of the general church community is over 60 years old. Since the 2023 Faith and Belief survey (commissioned by Wilberforce Foundation) shows that the maximum degree of openness is in the GenZ group (the generational cohort born mid-to-late 1990s through to the early 2010s), Baptists are marked for continued decline unless there is a turning to institutional church involvement in GenZ and that does not seem very likely.
Giving
One consequence of the older age bands of the church is that those in employment (Question A13) are just 35.3% of attendees generally, plus 6.2% self-employed. The proportion of employed is no different for Baptists yet there are more self-employed, while the Baptist retired group is significantly lower at 29.6% compared to 37.2% of all churchgoers. Such figures have a direct impact on church giving (question E5). However, Baptists give at a higher level than most, with 32.5% giving 10% to their congregation, compared to 19.5% generally.
Gender
The gender balance of the church is 59.7% in favour of females, a bit lower than the churches overall (61.7%, probably reflecting the longer life of most women).
Education
The educational level of attendees reflects their age and gender since university education represented a minority until very recently, and many older women, in particular, missed out on formal qualifications. 50.4% of Baptists have a university education, compared to 51.1% overall, but Baptists have a slightly high proportion of people (especially women) with tertiary diplomas. Trade certificates are largely held by men, but in every other qualification, women predominate. Over the age of 60, 23% of the population holds tertiary qualifications, while 21.6% of the 40 to 60-year-olds hold these qualifications. In the 25-64 year old age band, 77.7% of churchgoers have a tertiary qualification, while 65% of the general population hold such a qualification. So, the church is probably less welcoming to those with limited education.
Attendance Patterns
The survey is invaluable for assessing trends in church-going, which seem to be changing. Overall, the rising average age of churchgoers impacts these figures. Question A2 enabled us to see that 79.5% of Baptists go at least once every week, and 2.1% go once a month – a proportion that has significantly risen since the first survey in 1997 when it was under 1%.
Among general churchgoers, the weekly rate was 81%, and the monthly rate was 2.5%, figures influenced by the very high Catholic weekly rates of 84.1%. The biggest change in the Baptist rate is the rise from 10.6% to 15.7% who attend 2-3 times per month, whereas that rate has changed much less among Catholics, from 6.7% to 8.7%.
The impact of Covid on church involvement was significant. Many larger churches lost numbers, and many older people became more cautious about attendance. Question E3 needs to be interpreted cautiously, as the survey only measured the current congregation, not those who have left. But by looking at the proportion who participated more (15.9% generally, 15.4% for Baptists) and subtracting those who participated less (16.8% generally, 17.4% for Baptists), one can detect a general trend of a decline in participation generally by 0.9% and among Baptists by 2%. This is a significant figure, especially as the proportion of older people is not as great among Baptists, and certainly, the decline is most marked in larger Baptist congregations and more elderly churches. By the way, online attendees numbered 1.9% of all churchgoers and 2.6% of Baptists (Question A1).
Question A3 asks how often people have attended this church. 28.3% of Baptists and 31.1% of the overall churchgoers have been attending for more than 20 years, while 17.1% of Baptists and 17% of all churchgoers have been attending for less than two years.
The background of churchgoers was overwhelmingly Christian (91.8% of Baptists and 92.8% of all churchgoers), with 3.3% of Baptists and 2.1% of all churchgoers raised in a nonreligious environment, while 0.7% of Baptists and 0.6% of all churchgoers came from another religion. 3% of Baptists came from a Christian home but found faith in the context of this congregation (2.4% for all churchgoers). These latter figures have dropped significantly from 4.5% in the 2007 survey. (slightly different terminology was used in the first survey).
The Values of Churchgoers
The Church Life Survey results for each participating congregation give a helpful indication of their expectations. Section F on leadership and directions is useful, because although leaders often think they have the power to “cast a vision” for the congregation, leaders are unlikely to achieve this unless the congregation shares the same vision. Each church is unique, and comparing individual Baptist congregations with general Baptist and New Zealand trends is interesting. The results for the final question (F13: “In your opinion, which of the following should be given priority by this local church in the next 12 months?”) showed a priority for a stronger community. Baptist results tended to differ following a “narrow Protestant” focus on spiritual growth (top at 50%), with community second at 42.4%. This suggests that community is an important aspiration, but more people are content with its present manifestation.
Preaching
This final question may be compared with the results of B1: “Which of the following aspects of this local church do you most value?” Among Baptists, the most valued aspect by far was on the preaching (56%). But practical care for one another came in fourth at 28% and social activities or meeting people seventh at 17.6 %, so this will explain why fewer people thought it should be a priority in the future. The demand for spiritual growth needs to be interpreted in the light of Question C1:” Over the last year, do you believe you have grown in your Christian faith?” 23.4% of Baptists overall said they had experienced “much growth mainly through this local church”, results that are quite a bit below the 26.2% average, while 44.2% said some growth compared to the figure for all churches of 39.2%. Similarly, in Question B3, “This local church is resourcing my spiritual journey well”, 28.4% strongly agreed compared to the All New Zealand churches total of 33.7%. There is something interesting to explore here, whether it is more demanding Baptists, or the risk that the preaching provided has not fed spiritual growth. And this comes out somewhat in question B4 “The preaching is very helpful to my life” where 39.6% said nearly always, compared to 42.6% overall. The figures are still high but may be suggestive.
Spirituality
The longing for spirituality is of critical importance in the 2023 Faith and Belief survey on general attitudes in society. This shows that “seekers” are generally searching for a nurturing spirituality. Churches do need to ponder this. A factor may be at the relationship between personal devotions and the sense of spirituality in the congregation. There are sharp differences in the patterns of spirituality between young, middle and older age groups. Baptists are slightly higher than the general average of 50.4% and significantly higher in bible reading (38.1% every day, compared to 29.5% generally. Perhaps this suggests that many Baptists find their spiritual life fed primarily by personal disciplines. 15.3% gave this answer to question C1 – more or less identical to the national trend.
Small groups
Small groups play an important role within the Baptist world (and the world of most committed Protestants). However, the pressures of modern life have made this harder. 51.9% of Baptists were involved in bible studies or the like, and 27.3% were not involved, compared to a much lower national average (affected by the lack of such groups among Catholics) of 36.4% in bible study groups and 38.7% not involved. Only independent churches had higher levels than Baptist churches, so these are clearly significant for the quality of the Baptist community and Baptist spirituality.
Children’s and youth programmes
The satisfaction levels with children’s and youth programmes are significant if the church embraces a wide age range. These figures need to be interpreted carefully, as opinions were expressed by some (although not all) who had no family members involved in these programmes. Baptists in 2023 included 32.4% who did not answer the question, 62.3% satisfied and 5.2% dissatisfied with children’s programmes, while 80% had no children and 18.2% had children attending this local church. These figures are more positive than the overall figures.
The youth figures are not so positive. Dissatisfaction rises to 9.5% for what is offered to teenagers (compared to 13.2% overall), and the proportion of parents whose children are attending another or no church rises to 3.7%. Parental satisfaction is a significant motivation for people to change church. As for young adults (aged 19-25), dissatisfaction among Baptists is high at 14.6%, much the same level as with other churches. While there is no easy solution to this, it should be noted that the 2023 Faith and Belief survey of the general population suggests that GenZ are most likely to change their spiritual direction (into or out of Christian faith) in appropriate circumstances.
Vision
One fascinating question was F1, “Does this local church have a clear vision, goals or direction for its ministry and mission?” which also asked about commitment to the goals. 40.9% were strongly committed to these goals, compared to 34.7% of all church attendees, bearing in mind that Catholics scored very low with this answer. In F2, “How confident are you that this local church can achieve the vision, goals or directions it has set for itself?”, 43.2% of Baptists were fully confident, again significantly higher than 39.4% generally. Local churches are much more inclined to develop and pursue goals in those which have strong congregational leadership.
The Bible & theology
The figures on the theological values of congregations are evident in attitudes to the Bible, where 27.4% of Baptists said that the Bible is the word of God literally, and 52.1% said it should be interpreted in the light of history and culture. This compares to 21.7% and 36.5% generally (but it must be borne in mind that there was an answer in line with Catholic teaching that the Bible is to be interpreted in the light of church teaching – although it was intriguing to see that 16.3% of Baptists chose this answer compared to 34.3% generally). It is also interesting that the “Liberal Protestant” answer that “the Bible is not the word of God but contains God’s word to us” attracted 2.3% of Baptists, and 3.8% generally. (The highest level was 9.8% from the Methodists).
The next question asked about theological identity, with 45.6% of Baptists choosing Evangelical (compared to 25.9% overall), 24.5% choosing Charismatic/Pentecostal (compared to 15.8% overall – remembering that no Pentecostal denomination participated in the survey), 4.7% Fundamentalist, compared to 2.9% overall. Incidentally, the strength of Catholics in the overall survey is evident in the 41% who generally listed this as their approach to faith, while 7.2% of Baptists chose this (perhaps surprisingly). It is striking that 8.5% of Baptists chose Liberal/Progressive compared to 8.2% overall. So, one should be cautious about concluding that any one denomination has a single theological flavour. Notably, 26.4% of Baptists had no idea what these categories meant, while the vague categories of “Traditional” and “Moderate” together attracted 27.8% of Baptists and 31.5% overall.
Service and evangelism
A key question is the extent to which churches are oriented to serving the community and seeking to evangelise it. A number of questions illustrate this point. In the list of valued aspects (B1), “wider community care or social justice aspect” was second in Baptist priorities at 32.1% and fourth overall at 29.2%. Reaching those who do not attend church attracted 12% of Baptists and 9.7% of people overall (bearing in mind that people were allowed to choose more than one option in the list).
Section D of the survey explored different aspects of engagement in the community. 45.9% of Baptists had no involvement in wider community events (which will have limited their contacts in their community). In question D6, 33.7% took part in community service linked with the church (compared to 30.3% generally) and 7% in social justice activities, compared to 6.9% generally. As for evangelistic activities, 11.1% of Baptists participated in these, an almost identical percentage to the general church figure. 18.1% felt at ease sharing their faith in answer to D4, compared to 20% overall, while 31.4% had invited non-churchgoers to church in the past 12 months, compared to 33.9% generally. These figures suggest that the evangelical churches are not necessarily particularly evangelistic.
Denominational Loyalty
According to Question A5, 45.5% of Baptist attendees had been in the same denomination before they began at this church, while 46.2% attended another denomination (and the balance had only attended one church). In this, Baptists reflected a general Protestant trend, whereas Anglicans were 67.4% from an Anglican background and 27.4% from another denomination, while Catholics were 89.1% from a Catholic background and 6.9% from a different denomination. A most interesting question (F3) asked, “How important is it to you that this local church is part of this denomination?”; a question so mystifying to Catholics that it was omitted from their survey form, but of the 14,354 Protestants who answered, 41.6% thought it very important, while Baptists reflected a trend in the evangelical world with just 34.2% who thought that. It is an important reminder that most Protestants are prepared to “shop around” for a church that meets their needs and that of their family.
Conclusion
This survey comes at a significant moment in New Zealand church life. After Covid, most church leaders know that there is important work to do. Covid hastened a period of change, a drop in income, and a reshuffling of attendees and their loyalties. The church plays a vital role in nurturing the community today, and we need to recall that in New Zealand, the strength of the community was severely tested in the Covid pandemic. Churches have to re-think their niche. There are some differences between denominations, and the most concerning trends of aging are evident most strongly in the one-time Protestant mainstream. The renewal of the Catholic church through migration is the other striking finding from this survey. The “other Protestants” (Baptists included) need to be aware that they are perhaps a generation away from the age patterns of their mainstream counterparts. It is clear that the future of the whole Christian world in this country will need to experience significant change if it is to be the presence of Christ in our changing society.
Next week (7.30pm Tuesday, 23 July, and 11am Thursday, 25 July), the Church Life Survey organisers are offering online training to help the local church facilitators who participated in the survey to gain greater insight into their results. These free 60-minute Zoom sessions will help contextualise results for your setting, and you are welcome to invite as many people as you like from your local church. Click here for registration details.
Images from the Church Life Survey.
