One Auckland church is conducting a year’s worth of baptisms in one day.
Religion expert Emeritus Professor Peter Lineham said St Patrick’s Cathedral in central Auckland was expecting 350 people to be baptised on Easter Sunday.
“The whole Anglican church last year had approximately that number of people baptised over the whole year, so that tells you something is happening.
“It’s an astonishing figure.”
Several churches he had spoken to were seeing their congregations increase this Easter, he said.
“Good Friday numbers, for example, appear to be significantly up in a lot of churches.
“I don’t want to call anything significant at the moment but it does look like the same trend that has been evident in Britain and in the States, specifically among younger people a search for meaning and looking towards the church as one of the possible sources for that meaning.”
While mega-churches attracted large numbers of young people, youth were also seeking out more traditional churches, Lineham said.
More people migrating to New Zealand was also an explanation for growing church attendance here, he said.
While it was not happening everywhere, some churches had reported people from more diverse demographics were coming through their doors, he said.
“I think for various reasons migrants have always been most anxious to get this sense of community that the church can provide. I think that may be what’s happening right now.”
rnz.co.nz
