The conventional narrative about Australian Christianity is that Pentecostal churches – most famously, Hillsong – are bucking the trend of declining attendance at the big denominations (such as Catholic and Anglican churches). That in fact, Pentecostal churches continue to grow.
This narrative is based on the steady rise of people indicating affiliation with Pentecostal Christianity from the 1990s, through to 2016. After the 2016 census, sociologists Bouma and Halafoff noted a rise in those claiming affiliation with Pentecostal churches, alongside the rise in the religious “nones”.
