DENOMINATIONS FROM every State and Territory in Australia have signed up for the 2011 National Church Life Survey (NCLS). They will be provided with individualised feedback from the Survey that continues to be a rich resource for church leaders to use for the benefit of their people and for planning, outreach and advocacy. From September to November 2011 each participating church ...

African Americans are "markedly" more religious than others in the United States, a new study has concluded, with nearly nine in 10 black people surveyed saying they are "absolutely certain that God exists". The Washington-based Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life concludes that African Americans are "more religious on a variety of measures than the U.S. population as a ...

On the eve of the U.S. presidential election, Democrat Party candidate Barack Obama appears to have made little inroads with white voters who regularly attend church, according to one survey. A Gallup Poll showed that Obama – a member of the United Church of Christ who has actively courted white evangelical voters – is backed by just under a third ...

While fewer Europeans are going to church than ever before, a large majority still consider themselves religious, recent research by the Bertelsmann Stiftung, Germany’s largest privately-operating foundation, shows. "Although everyone has been talking about religion, there has been no reliable information about what people actually believe and its consequences for everyday life," said Martin Jaeger, a project manager with the ...

A Canadian church magazine has become the first North American sponsor of a travelling exhibit of the life and work of natural scientist Charles Darwin, whose theory of the evolution of species has long been a source of conflict between scientists and Christians who take the Biblical account of creation literally. The exhibit, which opened at the Royal Ontario Museum ...

The popularity of chapel weddings in Japan does not translate into an actual commitment to faith and Christian affiliation, a sociologist of religion at a Tokyo university says. "It would appear that brief encounters with religious professionals (and strangers) at wedding chapels – that is, anonymous individuals outside of such established relationships – are unlikely to have a long term ...

A newly-released survey by The Associated Press and MTV, the music channel aimed at young people, has found that religion and family are two of the strongest components contributing to the happiness of people aged 13 to 24 in the United States. "It’s easier for kids who are happy and have things going well in their life to find the ...

Media doomsayers have been quick to highlight the 2006 Census data showing a significant decline nationally in those who listed their religious affiliation as Uniting Church (down by 15% to 1.1 million since the Census of 1996). The data for Queensland was more encouraging and showed less than 8% decline (to 282,103). While the Sunday Mail was quick to stereotype ...

Measuring church growth takes more than a head-count across the top of the pews, reports world-renowned Australian researchers at NCLS Research. Busy preparing for another National Church Life Survey in the second half of 2006, NCLS has its eyes on the big and little pictures of congregation size, attitudes and beliefs. A key focus will be helping churches reflect on ...

Church shopping has really come of age with the introduction of the National Church Life Survey’s new free Internet service, Church Search, a comprehensive guide to Australian churches. Project Manager Dr Ruth Powell said "NCLS Research is in the unique position of having perhaps the best list of Australian churches that exists.  We are the caretakers of a list of ...