1. NCLS church trends – so what for BUV? Powerpoint summary prepared by Darren Cronshaw for Baptist Union of Victoria (May 2015) Drawing on Ruth Powell. ‘Trends in Australian Church Vitality: Denominational Leaders Briefing.’ NCLS Research Report (NCLS Research: Sydney, 2015). Accessible at http://www.ncls.org.au/default.aspx?sitemapid=7244http://www.ncls.org.au/default.aspx?sitemapid=7244 And other Baptist-specific resources

2. NCLS church trends …. Biggest church survey in world: 260000 attenders, 6000 leaders, 3000 churches, 23 denominations, 8 languages, every 5 years 1991-2011 Snapshot of church life and health: locally and regionally how attenders view relationships internally, externally and with God attendance change including newcomers and young adult retention. Critical indicators for future directions, including evangelism and children/youth/young adults Haemorrhaging Faith 2011 BUV NCLS: 8330 adult attenders in 79 Victorian Baptist churches (40%) Need 2016 NCLS broader representation to make BUV data more useful …. So what for BUV?

3. Australia trends overall … Identify as Christians? 96% in 1911, 68% in 2001, 61.1% 2011 Christian still largest religion (Buddhism 2 nd largest 2.5%) “No religion” tripled 6.7% in 1971 to 22.3% in 2011 Monthly church attendance? 36% in 1972, now 15% Ageing 70+: 12% population but 25% in church 20-39 years: 34% population but 21% church Average Vic Baptist? McCrindle Blog, ‘A Demographic Snapshot of Christianity and Church Attenders in Australia’, 18 April 2014. http://mccrindle.com.au/the-mccrindle-blog/a-demographic-snapshot-of-christianity- and-church-attenders-in-australiahttp://mccrindle.com.au/the-mccrindle-blog/a-demographic-snapshot-of-christianity- and-church-attenders-in-australia

4. Victorian Baptists: -47 years average age -55% female -Higher educated

8. Vision? Australians churches overall: And BUV:

9. Vision (BUV specific)? Attenders’ awareness and commitment to local church VISION

10. Leadership -Australians churches overall BUV:

11. Leadership - BUV specific Vic Baptist pastoral leaders are empowering …. BUT ….

12. Leadership - BUV specific WHO feels less empowered in Vic Baptist churches (compared to in other churches)? a.Youth b.Newcomers “We believe in priesthood of all believers; but practice priesthood of mature Baptist believers”

13. Need for INNOVATive Leadership

14. Mission - Australians churches overall

15. Mission - BUV specific (2001, 2006, 2011) Victorian Baptist churches involved in any kind of community service in 1996 and 2006 BUT what about faith-sharing and inviting? So ??? deed & word < deed and maybe word

16. NCLS regional Church Life Profile: Baptist Churches Vic Darren Cronshaw, Ruth Powell, Glen Powell, Nicole Hancock and Stacey Wilson, ‘Churches that Inspire and Empower: A Case Study Survey of the Baptist Union of Victoria’, Australian eJournal of Theology 21:3 (Dec 2014), 212-233. Accessible at http://aejt.com.au/2014/volume_21/vol_21_no_3_2014/?article=695189 http://aejt.com.au/2014/volume_21/vol_21_no_3_2014/?article=695189 Darren Cronshaw, Ruth Powell, Nicole Hancock, Sam Sterland and Stacey Wilson, ‘Churches with a Vision for the Future: a profile of the Baptist Union of Victoria’, Australian eJournal of Theology 21:1 (April 2014), 63-81 http://aejt.com.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0004/623884/AEJT12.51_Churches_with_a_Vision_for_the_Future_Apr14_Vol21.1.pdf http://aejt.com.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0004/623884/AEJT12.51_Churches_with_a_Vision_for_the_Future_Apr14_Vol21.1.pdf Darren Cronshaw, Ruth Powell and Sam Sterland, NCLS, ‘Local churches in mission through word and deed: A case study of Baptist Churches in Victoria using the National Church Life Survey’, Australian Journal of Mission Studies 5:2 (Dec 2011), 12-22, accessible at http://repository.divinity.edu.au/1140/ http://repository.divinity.edu.au/1140/ Darren Cronshaw, Ruth Powell, Nicole Hancock, Sam Sterland, Stacey Wilson and Ian Duncum, ‘Churches who share their Faith: a profile of the Baptist Union of Victoria’, Australian eJournal of Theology, 22:2 (forthcoming August 2015). Philip Hughes and Darren Cronshaw, Baptists in Australia: A Church with a Heritage and a Future (Melbourne: Christian Research Association, 2013) McCrindle Blog, ‘A Demographic Snapshot of Christianity and Church Attenders in Australia’, 18 April 2014. http://mccrindle.com.au/the-mccrindle-blog/a-demographic-snapshot-of-christianity-and-church-attenders-in-australia Ruth Powell, Trends in Australian Church Vitality: Denominational Briefing. NCLS Research report (Sydney: NCLS Research, 2015). http://www.ncls.org.au/default.aspx?sitemapid=7244http://www.ncls.org.au/default.aspx?sitemapid=7244 References: