MIGRANT CHRISTIANS SUSTAINING CHURCHES: Report Shows Overseas Believers Keeping Australia and New Zealand Churches Viable
A recent report highlights how migrant and overseas Christians are helping to keep churches in Australia and New Zealand viable amidst a general decline in traditional church attendance.
Almost all clergy ordained in the Methodist Church of Aotearoa New Zealand are Pacific Islanders, according to the World Council of Churches. The more conservative social theologies of Pacific Christians are changing the policies and practices of churches in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand.
Research shows that the percentage of migrants in Australian churches matches the broader Australian population's migration patterns. Churches that have opened their doors to migrants and refugees have been transformed in the process, with many experiencing growth through increasing participation from immigrant communities.
Philoi Global is working with Australian churches through the Churches in Cultural Transition project to help them understand cultural issues for refugees arriving in the country. This work is being replicated in New Zealand, Brazil, and Canada. "When people are displaced, the church goes with them or when people arrive at a destination, there is a church to host them," said a Philoi Global representative.
A McCrindle report found that while migration shapes Australia's religious mix, new arrivals to Australia are more likely to have no religion or belong to other faiths.
However, churches that embrace migrant communities are experiencing growth at a time when overall church attendance is declining.
Churches which seek to open themselves to people of different ethnic origins and cultural backgrounds often find the process enriching but challenging. Migrants bring different theological traditions, different liturgies, and different music that can enrich churches but also may divide them.
The report noted that integration implies a willingness to accept the contributions of migrants to change the church and create something new, which is more difficult for many to accept. One of the reasons migrants establish their own churches is because they don't feel that established churches are ready to change to accommodate their needs.
TAKE ACTION
Support churches serving migrants: • Philoi Global: Research their Churches in Cultural Transition project • Reach Australia: https://reachaustralia.com.au for resources on embracing migrant communities • World Council of Churches migration resources: https://www.oikoumene.org
Get involved locally: • Welcome migrant families at your church and learn about their theological traditions • Partner with refugee resettlement organizations to provide practical support • Advocate for skilled refugee migration programs that help churches sponsor refugees for permanent resettlement
Resources: • Christian Research Association: https://cra.org.au for data on migrant families and churches • Christianity Today coverage of Australian churches and refugees • Contact local churches successfully integrating migrant communities to learn best practices
