Europe Is Post-Christian – Is NZ Next? Wake Up Before It’s Too Late
“We have been living through the dying moments of the Christian story.” – Douglas Murray, The Strange Death of Europe
Let me ask you this: If Europe is the canary in the coal mine, are we even listening to its last song? Europe is at 2% practising Christianity, and we’ve dropped to 9% and are sliding fast. Let the implications of that sink in. I feel - I don’t know - sad, angry, motivated about it? I know that when we drop from 9% to 5% practising Christians (as is expected) that means the kids of today’s faithful Christian parents are not going to be following Jesus. That’s why we have to hold the line here, not at 5%.
This isn’t clickbait. It’s a spiritual emergency. New Zealand is on the same post-Christian trajectory as much of Europe—and we are sleepwalking into extinction. Not persecution. Extinction. A slow fade. And many of us don’t even notice.
What Does "Post-Christian" Really Mean?
It doesn’t mean there are no Christians. It means Christianity has lost its central voice in shaping society.
We now live in cultures that were once shaped by the Gospel—laws, values, stories—but have now distanced themselves from that foundation. Philosopher Charles Taylor calls it “a secular age,” where belief in God is no longer obvious.
The UK. France. The Netherlands. Scandinavia. These places once sent missionaries around the globe. Now? Most Europeans no longer attend church, and some don’t even know what a Bible is.
Europe: A Mirror or a Warning?
UK church attendance: under 15%
Netherlands: majority now identify as non-religious
France, Sweden, Norway: below 2% practising Christians
Christian ethics removed from schools, public life, and even basic law
Lesslie Newbigin warned us decades ago: “The Christian story is no longer the story by which we understand our world.”
So, What About New Zealand?
We’re right behind Europe—and closing fast.
2023 NZ Census: 51.6% = No religion
Christians down to 32.3%
Major denominations shrinking (Anglicans -22%, Baptists -20%, Presbyterians -19%)
Average Presbyterian church attendance: down from 308 (1950s) to about 60
Peter Lineham says young people just don’t see the Church as relevant anymore. North & South magazine says it plainly: “Christianity is becoming increasingly niche.”
Even Parliament prayers have been stripped of their Christian identity.
We’re not post-Christian yet. But we’re post-comfortable. And that’s where revival—or retreat—begins.
The Great Disruption Is Coming
And here’s where it gets even more real. Global think tanks like Brookings are pointing to major tectonic shifts before 2050:
Climate crisis
Ageing societies
Collapse of global governance
Tech-fuelled nationalism
Multipolar conflict (China, US, Russia)
I call it The Great Disruption.
And in the midst of chaos, people will look for something solid. A rock. A community. A story bigger than government, GDP, or identity politics.
We’ve got that story. But are we ready to live it?
In this environment, our Christian faith will provide the rock of stability in the lives that people will crave. What is interesting is the increasing erosion of the Liberal Democracy that we live under, and which has provided extraordinary security to our lives. With the erosion of the benefits of Liberal Democracy, the ‘comfy blanket’ is being removed from our population, and this growing feeling of insecurity will not be eased by Governments. We need to prepare and refresh our offering as Churches, and build stronger and more caring communities inside Churches.
Will Revival Come? Or Is It Up to Us?
I believe there is renewal stirring in youth movements in the UK and beyond. But revival is not a vending machine we insert prayer into and get miracles out of.
While we wait on God, let’s not forget—He’s already waiting on us.
This isn’t a drill. This is our moment. Let’s rebuild Church communities that are resilient, hospitable, and rooted in truth. Let’s shake off the dust of casual Christianity and rise up in faith, power, and sacrificial love.
We are the Church. And we are still here.
[1] https://www.brookings.edu/articles/global-security-challenges-and-strategy/
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