Methodists Discuss Church Statistics

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30900, 5 November 1965, Page 18

Methodists Discuss Church Statistics

“Is our Church becoming static?” asked the Rev. E. B. Chambers at the New Zealand Methodist Conference in Christchurch last evening during discussion of the statistical secretary’s report for the year.

The report said there had been a decrease of five in the number of church buildings, the new figure being 445. Other preaching places numbered 213, a decrease of 25. The net increase in church membership had been 253, giving a total membership of 32,749.

Another speaker said that 64 of 144 circuits had reported a loss of membership. The only section in which the report had shown an increase was that on finance, and there' the Church had really boomed. He felt that that was so because the financial side had received regular and systematic attention. He felt that it was a point of challenge to individual churches to review their evangelical and teaching situation. He doubted whether any of the churches in New

Zealand had made an impact on those in the non-Christian community. It was a problem for the Protestant churches of New Zealand that they were not making the impact, but that situation was world wide. The cause probably ran deep in church life, and an effort should be made to find them.

Another speaker said the issue was not really new, and though the Church had not really got to the bottom of it, it had been proved conclusively that stewardship was not the answer. He was more and more concerned, he said, with the woolliness not only of the Methodist and Protestant churches but of churches generally on the problem. The Rev. I. Ramage said the problem would not be solved with reports to the conference. Rather people had to be made available for research into the matter. “Otherwise, each year when the statistical report comes forward people will go on saying, ‘Tut, tut.’ ” The conference adopted the report.