St Peter’s Cathedral in north Adelaide. (Photo: Getty/iStock)
New national data suggests Australia’s churches are continuing a gradual recovery in weekly attendance following the COVID-19 pandemic, while still falling short of levels seen at the turn of the millennium.
The findings, released through the inaugural local Church Pulse Check Panel, offer one of the most comprehensive snapshots to date of church participation across the country and are intended to provide a consistent, long-term measure of congregational health as faith communities navigate ongoing cultural and social change.
The initiative builds on decades of research by NCLS Research, which has tracked trends within Australian Christianity to help church leaders respond to shifting patterns of belief and practice.
“The 2025 Pulse Check allows us to move beyond anecdotal evidence and provide a faithful, data-driven report on the health and resilience of our local churches,” a spokesperson for the project noted.
The findings are based on a nationwide survey of 1,005 local churches conducted throughout October and November 2025, representing about 10 percent of all Australian congregations across multiple denominations.
Researchers used a methodology known as block growth projections to estimate national weekly attendance figures, enabling participation levels to be assessed across the broader church landscape.
The results indicate that an estimated 1.35 million Australians attend church services in an average week, underscoring the continued role of local congregations in community and spiritual life despite broader trends toward secularization.
Compared with historical data, the 2025 Pulse Check shows weekly attendance has recovered to 89 percent of levels recorded in 2001. While this reflects substantial post-pandemic recovery, it also highlights the challenges churches continue to face in regaining earlier participation levels.
Researchers said the remaining gap points to a period of transition, as congregations adapt ministry models and engagement strategies while seeking to maintain their theological and spiritual foundations.
Beyond the current findings, the 2025 survey marks the launch of a permanent local Church Pulse Check Panel. Researchers emphasized that tracking the same churches over time offers a more reliable scientific approach to measuring long-term growth or decline than isolated surveys.
For the panel to remain representative of Australia’s diverse church landscape, organizers said continued collaboration with denominational leaders will be critical.
During the survey, church leaders were invited to participate in the long-term panel, with a significant number already agreeing to take part. Additional congregations are expected to be added in coming years to ensure broad denominational and geographic coverage.
Researchers said the data is intended to assist pastors, denominational leaders and local churches in understanding emerging trends and planning future ministry more effectively.
A full report on the 2025 Church Pulse Check is expected to be released in the coming weeks, offering further analysis of faith commitment and patterns of church life across Australia.
© Christian Daily International
