What the Census Is Telling the Church, and Why This Hour Demands an Apostolic, Pentecostal and Prophetic Response
“When the enemy comes in like a flood,
The Spirit of the LORD will lift up a standard against him.”
Isaiah 59:19 NKJV
Australia is changing.
Anyone who is spiritually awake can see it.
We see it in our culture, schools, families, government, media and public institutions. We see it in changing attitudes towards marriage, sexuality, the sanctity of life, biblical morality and Christianity itself.
But the Australian Census gives us something more than impressions.
It gives us numbers.
And those numbers should cause every pastor, intercessor, Christian leader, parent and believer who loves this nation to pay attention.
In 1971, 86.2 per cent of Australians identified with Christianity. By 2011, that figure had fallen to 61.1 per cent. In 2016 it fell to 52.1 per cent, and by the 2021 Census only 43.9 per cent identified as Christian.
At the same time, Australians identifying with no religion increased dramatically — from 6.7 per cent in 1971 to 38.9 per cent in 2021.
These are more than statistics.
They are a warning to the Church.
They tell us something about where Australia has been, where Australia appears to be heading, and what the Church must do in response.
THE CENSUS IS A MIRROR — NOT A PROPHECY
The Census does not determine Australia’s spiritual future.
God does.
Statistics can describe a nation, but they cannot determine what the Holy Spirit will do in that nation.
The Census is a mirror, and right now that mirror is revealing that the cultural Christianity which shaped much of Australia’s history is rapidly disappearing.
That should concern us.
But it should not cause the Church to despair.
It should awaken us.
For generations, Christianity occupied a recognised place within Australian society. Even people who rarely attended church often described themselves as Christian.
That world is changing.
Perhaps one of the questions the Holy Spirit is asking His Church is:
What happens when Christianity can no longer rely upon culture to carry it?
The answer must be:
The Church must once again rely upon the power of the Holy Spirit.
“Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,”
Says the LORD of hosts.
Zechariah 4:6 NKJV
The future Church in Australia cannot survive merely through tradition, denominational loyalty, impressive buildings, professional programmes or clever marketing.
We need the presence of God.
We need biblical preaching.
We need repentance.
We need holiness.
We need prayer and intercession.
We need the gifts of the Holy Spirit.
We need discipleship.
And we desperately need another outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon Australia.
AUSTRALIA HAS BECOME A MISSION FIELD
For generations, Australians have sent missionaries throughout Asia, Africa, the Pacific and around the world.
We thank God for that missionary heritage.
But we must recognise something uncomfortable:
Australia itself has become a mission field.
There are millions of Australians with little meaningful understanding of biblical Christianity.
Many young Australians have never seriously read the Bible. Many have never regularly attended church. Many do not understand sin, repentance, salvation, the Cross, resurrection or eternal life.
We can no longer assume biblical literacy.
Our suburbs are mission fields.
Our workplaces are mission fields.
Our universities are mission fields.
Our schools are mission fields.
Our neighbourhoods are mission fields.
And increasingly, our own families are mission fields.
Jesus said:
“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations.”
Matthew 28:19 NKJV
Australia is one of those nations.
The Great Commission has come to our front door.
“NO RELIGION” DOES NOT MEAN “NO SPIRITUAL HUNGER”
We must not assume that every Australian selecting “no religion” is a hardened atheist who wants nothing to do with God.
The Census measures religious affiliation.
It cannot measure the human heart.
Behind Australia’s increasingly secular appearance are people asking:
Why am I here?
Does my life have purpose?
Can my past be forgiven?
Is there something beyond death?
Is there really a God?
Can God know me personally?
These are Gospel questions.
Australia is filled with people searching for identity, belonging, hope, forgiveness and meaning.
We see loneliness, family breakdown, addiction, isolation, fear and confusion.
A generation can reject religion and still desperately hunger for something real.
And the Church possesses something Australia desperately needs.
Not merely religion.
Jesus Christ.
“Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
Acts 4:12 NKJV
Our response cannot be anger or condemnation from a distance.
It must be mission, compassion, prayer, evangelism and truth — accompanied by the love and power of Jesus Christ.
AUSTRALIA NEEDS AN APOSTOLIC CHURCH AGAIN
The decline of nominal Christianity does not necessarily mean the death of biblical Christianity.
It may actually expose the difference between cultural Christianity and the Christianity of the Book of Acts.
The early Church was born in prayer.
It moved in the power of the Holy Spirit.
It preached Christ without compromise.
It healed the sick.
It confronted demonic powers.
It endured persecution.
It planted churches.
It made disciples.
And it transformed communities.
“And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness.”
Acts 4:31 NKJV
That is the Church Australia needs.
The word apostolic should never merely describe a title or denomination. It speaks of being sent.
For too long, much of our thinking has been:
Come to our building.
Come to our programme.
Come to our event.
But Jesus said:
Go.
An apostolic Church plants, sends, equips, establishes and disciples.
Australia does not simply need larger churches.
Australia needs more disciples.
We need Spirit-filled Christians in business, education, medicine, law, government, media and the arts.
We need Spirit-filled parents raising godly families.
The Church gathered on Sunday must become the Church scattered throughout Australia from Monday to Saturday.
AUSTRALIA NEEDS THE PROPHETIC VOICE
Australia also needs a Church willing to speak.
There is a difference between being political and being prophetic.
Our first allegiance is to Jesus Christ and His Kingdom. But neither can the Church remain silent when a nation abandons God’s ways.
The prophets spoke to kings, governments and nations. They confronted injustice and idolatry. They called people to repentance and announced God’s mercy to those willing to return to Him.
Isaiah 58:1 declares:
“Cry aloud, spare not;
Lift up your voice like a trumpet.”
That prophetic voice must again be heard in Australia.
Not an angry voice.
Not a hateful voice.
Not merely a partisan voice.
A biblical, courageous, compassionate and Spirit-filled voice.
Truth spoken in love.
Grace without compromise.
Compassion without surrender.
The Gospel without apology.
OUR CHILDREN WILL SHAPE AUSTRALIA’S SPIRITUAL FUTURE
One of the greatest battlegrounds for Australia’s spiritual future is the next generation.
Christian parents cannot outsource the spiritual formation of their children.
A few hours of church activity cannot compete with a culture discipling our children throughout the week unless Christianity is being lived within the home.
We need Christian homes again.
Homes where Scripture is read.
Homes where prayer is normal.
Homes where children see genuine faith rather than Sunday Christianity.
The next generation cannot simply inherit our church attendance.
They must encounter our God.
Psalm 145:4 declares:
“One generation shall praise Your works to another,
And shall declare Your mighty acts.”
If we fail to disciple our children, someone else will.
Australia’s spiritual future is being shaped around kitchen tables, in classrooms, through smartphones and across social media every day.
The Church must recognise the urgency.
THE ANSWER IS NOT BETTER MARKETING, IT IS REVIVAL
When Christian identification declines, the temptation is to ask how we can make Christianity more attractive to culture.
Perhaps that is the wrong question.
The early Church did not transform the Roman world through marketing.
It carried something Rome could not manufacture.
The presence and power of Almighty God.
When the Holy Spirit was poured out at Pentecost, Peter preached and thousands responded.
The Church prayed and buildings shook.
The sick were healed.
Communities were transformed.
And the Gospel spread despite opposition.
Australia does not need a Church that increasingly resembles the world in order to persuade the world to attend it.
Australia needs a Church filled with the Holy Spirit.
A holy Church.
A praying Church.
A courageous Church.
A supernatural Church.
A compassionate Church.
A Church where broken people encounter Jesus.
A Church where prodigals come home.
A Church where addictions are broken.
A Church where marriages are restored.
A Church where the sick are prayed for.
A Church where the Gospel is preached clearly.
And a Church where Jesus Christ receives all the glory.
JUDGMENT MUST BEGIN AT THE HOUSE OF GOD
Before we point towards Canberra, the media, universities, schools or secular culture, Scripture requires us to examine ourselves.
“For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God.”
1 Peter 4:17 NKJV
It is easy to blame the world for behaving like the world.
The harder question is:
Has the Church behaved like the Church?
Have we prayed?
Have we evangelised?
Have we discipled?
Have we defended truth?
Have we cared for the poor and needy?
Have we strengthened families?
Have we preached repentance?
Have we demonstrated holiness?
Have we carried the presence of God?
Revival begins when God’s people stop merely identifying everybody else’s sin and allow the Holy Spirit to expose their own.
God says in 2 Chronicles 7:14:
“If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”
Notice where God begins.
“My people.”
Before national transformation comes spiritual consecration.
Before reformation comes repentance.
Before awakening comes prayer.
THE CENSUS DOES NOT GET THE FINAL WORD
The trajectory may appear discouraging.
Christian affiliation has fallen.
No religious affiliation has risen.
Australia is increasingly secular and religiously diverse.
But hear this:
Statistics do not get the final word over Australia.
God does.
Ezekiel stood before a valley filled with dry bones.
God asked:
“Son of man, can these bones live?”
Ezekiel 37:3 NKJV
Human observation saw death.
Prophetic faith looked towards the God who raises the dead.
Then Ezekiel prophesied.
Bones came together.
Breath entered them.
And what looked like a graveyard became an exceedingly great army.
Church, Australia may look increasingly secular.
But dry bones can live.
Prodigals can return.
Young Australians can encounter Jesus.
Families can be restored.
Churches can be renewed.
Communities can turn towards God.
Australia can experience another Great Awakening.
But we cannot sleep through the hour God has given us.
THIS IS THE HOUR OF THE WATCHMEN
I believe God is raising watchmen across Australia.
Intercessors who will pray when others sleep.
Pastors who will preach truth when compromise would be easier.
Parents who will disciple their children.
Businesspeople who will live according to Kingdom principles.
Young people who refuse to bow before the idols of their generation.
Prophetic voices who will sound the alarm.
Evangelists who will take the Gospel beyond church walls.
Apostolic leaders who will plant, equip and send.
Isaiah 62:6 declares:
“I have set watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem;
They shall never hold their peace day or night.”
Australia needs its watchmen.
Watching from the walls.
Praying.
Discerning.
Warning.
Proclaiming.
Standing.
A CALL TO THE AUSTRALIAN CHURCH
I believe this is one of the most important moments the Australian Church has faced in generations.
A different Australia is emerging.
The question is whether the Church will retreat from it or evangelise it.
We must not retreat.
We must not surrender.
We must not become bitter.
We must not become afraid.
And we must not become silent.
This is our mission field.
This is our generation.
This is our watch.
The Census can measure Australia’s religious affiliation.
But it cannot measure the prayers of God’s people.
It cannot measure the power of the Gospel.
It cannot measure a prodigal returning home.
It cannot measure thousands of intercessors crying out before God.
And it cannot predict a sovereign move of the Holy Spirit.
Jesus Christ is still Lord over Australia.
A PRAYER FOR AUSTRALIA
Heavenly Father,
We come before You in the mighty name of Jesus Christ.
We thank You for Australia and for generations who have preached the Gospel throughout this land.
But Lord, we recognise that our nation has wandered from Your ways.
Forgive us.
Forgive Your Church for complacency, compromise, prayerlessness and silence.
Lord, awaken us.
Restore the fear of the Lord.
Restore biblical preaching.
Restore holiness.
Restore prayer to our churches and homes.
Restore evangelism.
Restore the power and presence of the Holy Spirit.
Raise apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers who will equip Your people.
Raise watchmen upon the walls of Australia.
Pour out Your Spirit upon our sons and daughters.
Bring the prodigals home.
Save those who do not know Jesus.
Strengthen Christian families.
Give courage to pastors and leaders.
Let the Gospel burn brightly throughout this Great South Land of the Holy Spirit.
Send revival.
Bring reformation.
Awaken Australia.
Use us to stand in the gap until this nation turns back to You.
In the mighty name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
THE TRUMPET MUST SOUND
Church, this is not the hour to retreat.
This is not the hour to surrender our children.
This is not the hour to dilute Scripture.
And this is not the hour to become silent because Christianity is becoming less culturally popular.
This is the hour to stand.
This is the hour to pray.
This is the hour to preach.
This is the hour to disciple.
This is the hour to contend.
This is the hour to believe again for revival.
The Census may measure Australia’s religious affiliation.
But it cannot measure what God is about to do.
Watchmen, take your place upon the walls.
Intercessors, return to the prayer closet.
Pastors, preach the Word.
Parents, disciple your children.
Believers, share the Gospel.
Church, prepare for awakening.
Australia is worth contending for.
Australia is worth praying for.
Australia is worth believing for.
And until the Lord tells us otherwise, we will continue to stand in the gap and sound the trumpet.
REVEREND GARY HOBAN
Founder & Director
Refinery Life Australia
Standing in the gap until Australia turns back to God.
WATCH • PRAY • DISCERN • STAND
Soli Deo Gloria
