Earthquake-prone churches are common and so are smaller congregations.

Declining attendance

The most recent data on religious affiliation from the 2018 census shows 48.2 percent of us have no religion.

The "nones" group is growing: the 2013 census says 41.9 percent reported "no religion", while in 2001, the census found 29.6 percent said they had no religion.

These figures are borne out by the 2019 New Zealand Attitudes and Values Study. It found about 14.4 percent of New Zealanders attended church at least monthly, compared to 20-25 percent in 2009.

Religious historian Peter Lineham says some faiths are coming together to share facilities.

But he doesn't think the decline from 20-25 percent to 14.4 percent is correct.

Church attendance has been "relatively steady, but relatively ageing - and that's been going on since the 1980s" he observes. While New Zealand's traditional Protestant Church congregations are declining, it's mostly because of the ageing congregations and the numbers not replenishing.

However, it's hard to "get a fix" on how active the more contemporary churches, like the Pentecostals, really are.

That's because we see some massive examples of the 'mega churches' and we know a lot of the children and grandchildren of Anglicans, Methodists and Presbyterians are probably going to a Pentecostal church.

Migrant populations

Ethnic makeups of various church congregations have changed, Lineham says.

The arrival of Filipino and the extraordinary role the church plays in their community means Catholic churches - especially those near hospitals and in the north of the North Island - are bursting at the seams.

He says Filipinos and other new migrants are filling Catholic pews, but that Pakeha attendance probably follows similar patterns as other traditional churches in New Zealand.

"No other congregations have quite the advantage of the Catholics of being a world-wide Church so that new migrants get picked up" he says.

He's also noticed the presence of Indians and Africans in the Anglican churches. There's a big Korean presence in Presbyterian churches as well as Pasifika populations - the latter are also highly visible in Methodist congregations he says.

Joining forces

Big denomination mergers began in the 1970s with the Uniting Churches.

These churches still exist, but they are facing a crisis now as most of them involved small country churches or churches in new suburbs joining together, Lineham says.

He thinks most country churches will probably close unless they're being preserved for historic reasons and, longer term, most religions will focus on the bigger towns.

Church assets - like valuable land - are being held close. People don't want to sell those assets to help other denominations.

The assets are being released, but very slowly.

However, the Royal Commission into Abuse in Church and State Care has led to assets already being sold to pay compensation.

Some churches are already selling assets for this purpose. The Catholic Church is paying up to $50,000 to victims. The Anglican Church, $100,000.

Overall it seems that costs are up, congregations are changing and the future looks somewhat challenging.

Source

• RNZ

Coleridge told the Catholic priests that changes were happening, that there would be more of them and that it was important to be prepared.

Coleridge suggested that ministry as a Catholic priest was not a case of 'goundhog day' nor an example of 'yesterday once more.'

Rather, Coleridge recommended that Catholic priests prepare themselves for the changes and "fasten their seatbelts."

In his keynote speech to the nearly 200 Catholic priests at the Assembly, the archbishop said the Catholic Church is experiencing an "Abrahamic" moment.

Just like the biblical Abraham who set out on a journey for God without knowing where he was going, New Zealand's Catholic priests are also on a journey where the destination is unclear, Coleridge said.

Spiritual vitality

"The spiritual vitality of the Church is found largely in our immigrant communities," the archbishop noted.

"The centre of gravity of the Church is passing to Africa, Asia and Latin America. We have a Pope from Argentina. It's fasten your seatbelts time, we are going somewhere and there is no way back."

Coleridge says that, while the shape the future will take is unclear, we can rely on faith.

"But the act of faith is that there is one who does know where it is all leading. We must keep our eyes and our ears on God. We have to be on the journey."

Diminishing numbers

Coleridge pointed out the logical consequences of the current situation for Catholics in New Zealand.

"We cannot sustain the current mode of provision of priests, with far fewer priests and fewer people," he said.

"The shortage of people is the real problem.

"There are far fewer people who identify with the Church or come to Mass.

"People like our schools. They ask why are our schools full and our churches empty?

"Institutionally we are diminished."

Coleridge described the problem as "corrosive in a unique way... we are almost afraid to look at the damage."

Administrative changes

The priests at the Assembly heard that New Zealand's Catholic priests' administrative burden is also more complex than formerly.

Coleridge told the Diocesan priests at the Assembly they need to be like Abraham and turn wandering into journeys.

He acknowledged journeying is hard work - but also pointed out it goes somewhere.

"The priest as pilgrim is someone who can say to all the wanderers, come on a journey.

"The priest in a diocese is also a settler. The priest has a parish, and people are the community. We have to put down roots in a particular place, a parish."

Source

• New Zealand Catholic Bishops Conference