Not just another survey

by Bronwyn Hughes and Merilyn Correy

'Christian Survey Debunks Myths' was the front-page headline in a major Australian daily newspaper.

With its accompanying photo of National Church Life Survey team member Merilyn Correy holding one of the team's publications 'Views from the Pews', this NCLS story about religion in Australia achieved the impossible. It won more front-page attention than a rival story about bribery allegations in Australia's other national religion - cricket.

In a country where the hippest youth radio station airs a regular God Spot and where the number one pop song is 'What if God Was One Of Us?', community fascination with matters spiritual is evident. Into this milieu comes the National Church Life Survey, breaking stereotypes and making the news.

The National Church Life Survey was conducted in 1991 amongst 310,000 church attenders plus their leaders from 19 denominations. Since then, media interest in the survey results has been consistently high as some long-standing myths about Australian church life have been blown away.

'Decline in church numbers halted' was the headline displayed in news agencies when the NCLS first published its results on church attendance rates. Across Australia, radio interviews and press articles reported that the drift from God has stopped, and that one in 12 people going to church each week are newcomers who have started attending for the first time in the last five years. Even more encouraging is the news that these people are most likely to be young, with 32% in their twenties.

`Churchgoers play 'musical pews'' was another headline, typical of many appearing in the national press, when the release of NCLS results showed that churchgoers are dropping denominational loyalty and shopping around in what amounts to a Protestant 'supermarket'. At least one in eight Australian Protestant churchgoers has changed denominations in the last five years in a search for the church that best suits their needs.

In a country where many still view our churches as inflexible, monolithic institutions, incapable of change, media stories like these have doubtless helped to re-create our national image of church life.

Nonetheless, altering stereotypes about church going is not the primary focus of the NCLS team, although this is a welcome outcome if these new images help Australians to think creatively about what makes effective congregations. According to Dr. Peter Kaldor, Project Director for the NCLS, the team's priority is to 'provide information which allows individual congregations to reflect on their present situation as they consider future mission priorities.'

Until now, the NCLSstrategy has been to provide individualized printouts for each participating congregation, and to create workshops where church leaders are trained to interpret the data.

Response from church leaders to the NCLS 91 has been very positive. The Anglican Archbishop of Sydney, Harry Goodhew, reflected the feelings of many when he commented, 'The material has been invaluable in better understanding opportunities and areas of concern as we attempt to develop strategies for ministry and training'.

As national presenter for the NCLS, Merilyn Correy has run countless workshops across Australia at clergy and lay conferences, ecumenical events, and at theological colleges.

In one Anglican diocese for example, archdeacons, bishops and social researchers gathered to hear her give a profile of diocesan figures. The news was less than positive, revealing a decline in weekly attendance, an aging population, and an inward focus. Afterwards, though, the positive outcome of this news was the creation of a major conference for all diocesan clergy, designed to consider how to address the issues raised by the survey results.

In Sydney, several small struggling congregations have been encouraged to think more positively about future strategies, as Merilyn explained the NCLS insights into what attracts newcomers to church.

In Canberra, 17 clergy from four denominations have met for an intensive course in church leadership and management, which included an NCLS presentation on the nature and extent of commitment in individual congregations.

Second Survey

In August 1996 there will be a second NCLS survey, and this time the Catholic church is participating as well. NCLS 96 is not just a re-run of the earlier survey, but is designed to build on its insights and create an even clearer picture of what makes congregations effective.

One constant criticism of the 1991 survey is that at the congregational level, the material is under used because the ministers do not know how to interpret the statistics with their congregations.

To help solve this problem, simpler congregational printouts have been designed for the 1996 survey, and these will be accompanied by a workbook, a video, access to trained congregational workshop facilitators, and a copy of the next NCLS publication 'What Makes An Effective Congregation?'

In building Christian community and witnessing for God, there are no short cuts. There are, however, many signs of hope. As the Australian churches cooperate across denominations, graciously learn from each other and courageously face reality, there is a sense of excitement and something 'bigger than us' going on as we gear up together to do the next survey and take a second look in the mirror

Merilyn Correy, researcher and co-author of 'Views from the Pews'. Bronwyn Hughes, researcher.