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CONGREGATIONAL LIFE |
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| From Pointers Volume 16. Number 1. March 2006. MORE...
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by Rev John Mann From Pointers Volume 16. Number 2. June 2006. MORE...
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Some findings from the National Church Life Survey MORE...
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| Why don't more Australians go to church? Many express interest in spiritual issues, and there are high levels of occasional contact between the churches and the community. Yet the number of people who attend church has hit its lowest point in the post-war period, with around 20% who claim to attend worship services at least monthly. MORE...
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| This article identifies five ways in which Christian Education may occur in the congregation. These five ways were identified by a large study of Christian Education in Uniting Churches commissioned by Uniting Education.
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| The Christian Research Association undertook a study for the Anglican Diocese of Melbourne to identify what were the factors which contributed to health and vitality. 17 healthy churches in the Diocese were identified based on a range of criteria using the National Church Life Survey data. These criteria included growth in numbers, growth in the sense of belonging, reported growth in faith, and growth in involvement in the community. Each of these churches was visited and interviews were conducted among young people, newcomers and the ministers. The Anglican Diocese of Melbourne has given us permission to make the report available on the website.
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| Dr Martin Robinson of the Bible Society in the U.K. visited Australia late in 1995. He conducted several seminars for the Bible Society on contemporary issues, particularly looking at the impact of post-modernism. The following is a short summary of some of the points he made, along with a few comments focusing on the Australian religious scene.
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| Around Australia, Protestant and Anglican congregations are currently assessing their vitality. 6600 congregations belonging to 23 denominations have received the first set of results of the survey conducted of their own congregation in August 1996. These results provide them with a picture of the responses from the people who attended their church on that day. More than 312,000 attenders responded to the questionnaire.
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| Recent census results have reaffirmed once more that the age group least interested in the Christian faith are people between 20 and 29 years old. 21.7 percent of that age group (Australia wide) say they have ‘no religion’, compared with 6.9% of those over 60, and 16.6 percent in the population as a whole. The National Church Life Survey has consistently found this age group under-represented among church attenders.
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| For centuries, people have looked askance at the divisions among churches. They have seen the variety of denominations as a scandal and have sought for the unity of the ‘one, true, apostolic church’. In the United States of America, in 1827, the revivalism of Charles Finney was attacked because of the divisions it was creating. The Methodism of John Wesley was similarly criticised.
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| Placing the ‘Toronto Blessing’ in historical context
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| One of the fastest growing groups in Australian society is the 'no religion' group. Between 1991 and 1996, the numbers of Australians describing themselves as having 'no religion' jumped by nearly three-quarters of a million to nearly 3 million people. While the population size rose by 5.4%, the 'no religion' group grew by 35%. MORE...
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| Philip Richter and Leslie Francis have just released a new book on people who leave the church and why they do so. The basis for the book is an extensive study which involved 27 indepth interviews and questionnaires completed by over 800 people who had left the church in England. The book is comprehensive and most useful for those who would want to ‘close the back-door’ of the church.(Published by Dartman, Longman and Todd, 1998; ISBN: 0-232-52236-7.)
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| Half of the Australian population - 7.5 million adults - identified with a Christian denomination in the 1996 Census, but are not frequently involved in a church. MORE...
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| The church growth literature has become more subtle and nuanced than it used to be. The materials developed by Christian Schwarz and the Institute of Church Development are an example of that. Schwarz has visited Australia and attracted wide attention with his biotic principles of growth. This article reviews Natural Church Development: A Practical Guide to a New Approach (British Church Growth Association, Moggerhanger, 1996) and its strengths and weaknesses.
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| The Once and Future Church by Loren Mead of The Alban Institute has become something of a classic since it was first published in 1992. Mead argues that we are experiencing a paradigm shift in the nature of church life. This article argues the social and communal paradigm shifts which are causing the shift in the nature of church life may be more profound than Mead realises.
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| Churches play an important role in the development of supportive friendships. The Australian Community Survey, which was conducted by the NCLS and Edith Cowan University in 1998 found that almost 20% of adult Australians affirmed that religious services were important or very important as places where they spent time with their friends. Many develop some of their closest friendships with others who attend the same church.
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| In many places, church leaders face the question whether they should invest in buildings to cater for large regional congregations? It is evident, not only in the capital cities, but also in many large rural centres, that the days of small, close, suburban communities has come to an end. Many tiny congregations which served those who lived in walking distance will close within the next decade. At the same time, some congregations have grown large as they have served large populations, in an age in which most people drive to church. MORE...
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| Throughout the history of the Church, one of the forms of ministry to people who are sick or frail, or for some other reason unable to join a congregation for worship, is the practice of Holy Communion in their homes, hospitals, or wherever they be. As the heart of Christian worship in most denominations, sharing Holy Communion is an important and moving part of pastoral work as well as congregational life.
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