Cultural movements don’t emerge fully formed; they simmer unnoticed until they boil over, becoming evident to all. One such simmering movement involves faith-based conversations around Christianity.

Recently, I’ve noticed an increasing amount of Christian content and changing attitudes towards traditional religious practices. If this observation extends beyond my digital echo chamber, it suggests a potential cultural movement where more people identify as religious.

This development is noteworthy as faith-based charities in Australia have faced shifting attitudes towards religion for years. One significant challenge is how these charities frame and express their beliefs publicly in an increasingly secular society. This issue is contentious within many charities, as they strive to retain their core audience—primarily older, church-going Australians—while also attracting younger supporters to ensure their survival. For instance, one faith-based organisation reported losing 20% of their supporters annually to old age, highlighting the urgent need to acquire new supporters to continue delivering essential services.

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Is Religion on the Rise?

The Vatican reported an increase in the number of Catholics worldwide in 2021, stating, “There were 1.375 billion Catholics in the world, representing an overall increase of 16.24 million compared to the end of 2020.”

McCrindle Research aimed to understand faith and belief blockers among Australians in 2017, focusing on perceptions, opinions, and attitudes towards Jesus, the church, and Christianity. A key finding was that two-thirds of Australians (68%) follow a religion or have spiritual beliefs, while the number of Australians who do not identify with a religion was rising, with almost one in three Australians (32%) in this category.

According to Australian census data, 45% of Australians identified as Christian in recent years, compared to 61% in 2011.

More recent data from The Center for the Study of Global Christianity at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary shows global Christianity experiencing remarkable growth, surpassing population growth rates. “Contrary to the anticipated slowdown, the Christian population is projected to climb from over 2.52 billion to 2.63 billion, representing a 1.08% growth, and is expected to surpass 3 billion by 2050.”

Global reports indicate there may be more to this story, as hinted by McCrindle Research, which found that the greatest attraction to investigating spirituality and religion is observing people who live out a genuine faith (61%) and experiencing personal trauma or significant life change (59%).

We cannot yet conclusively determine whether the pandemic has influenced shifting attitudes towards faith, but it is a possibility. As one Gen X respondent noted in 2017, “In Australia, we are quite well off. We have a good life. People turn to religions when times are tough, and I don’t think the times are as tough anymore.”

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Cultural Conversations

A noticeable trend is the rise of public figures converting to or returning to religion and sharing their reasons. Figures like Russell Brand, Candace Owens, and former MMA superstar Quinton “Rampage” Jackson have publicly discussed their faith journeys. Mark Wahlberg, widely known as a Catholic, has become the face of a prayer app, while Jordan Peterson interprets the Bible from a psychological standpoint on popular podcasts.

The Wall Street Journal reported a surprising surge of faith among young people, noting that “a greater share of young adults say they believe in a higher power or God. About one-third of 18-25-year-olds say they believe—more than doubt—the existence of a higher power.” This increase is partly attributed to the need for belief in something beyond oneself after three years of loss.

Before the pandemic, The Guardian reported that “84% of the world’s population identifies with a religious group. Members of this demographic are generally younger and produce more children than those without religious affiliation, so the world is getting more religious, not less.”

McCrindle Research supports this trend, showing that Gen Z is more likely to be religious (46%) than Gen Y (32%) or Gen X (42%).

Social media plays a significant role in this movement, where influencers share their faith stories, and younger people seek information. Christian-related content on YouTube garners millions of views, from Russell Brand discussing his path towards Christ to Catholic bishops sharing sermons.

On TikTok, faith-based content produced by young people also receives millions of views. For example, a simple Bible verse read aloud with a static background has been viewed 4.6 million times, and a video of an average American man sharing a message about God’s timing has been viewed 4 million times.

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The Real-World Impact

In reality, priests report witnessing more people attending mass and religious events. While these individual instances might seem insignificant in isolation, together they suggest a broader movement. This movement is still simmering but likely to boil over in the coming years.

Regarding faith-based charities, there are early signs of changing attitudes. Australians participating in McCrindle Research reported valuing the Church and Christian organisations for their work with those in need.

FY23 Annual Reports of Five Well-Known Christian Charities:

$1.1 billion donated to the The Salvation Army Australia, a 20% increase from the previous year

$443 million donated to World Vision Australia, higher than the previous year, although individual donations decreased

$100 million donated to Compassion Australia, marking a record year

$23 million donated to Caritas Australia, $1 million less than the previous year

$13.2 million donated to Baptist World Aid Australia, consistent with the previous year

While this sample is small, it is notable that most of these faith-based organisations received more donations than in the previous year, contrasting with the broader fundraising landscape where fewer Australians donate and more charities experience negative growth.

Implications for Faith-Based Charities

It appears we are witnessing the beginning of a cultural movement that could increase interest and participation in organised religion. While the size of the movement is uncertain, faith-based charities can expect a larger traditional core audience and more potential young supporters energised about living their faith.

This presents an opportunity for Christian organisations to deliver much-needed support to those in need. Faith-based charities should feel confident incorporating faith into their campaign messaging in a way that aligns with their core audience’s beliefs and values.

Success will require charities to meet their potential supporters where they are, which is most notably online using short-form video and giving people a way to express their identity and beliefs.

Recommended Actions

1. Listening

Monitor online content and conversations to understand how people talk about faith and how they live their faith-based culture.

2. Understanding

Clearly define your brand’s identity and express it through actions rather than ideals. Align your messaging with your actions.

3. Testing

Engage with online content by liking, sharing, and commenting. Begin small, showing you belong before seeking deeper engagement.

4. Planning

Start with general communications to test what resonates with the community. Incorporate successful approaches into campaign messaging, beginning with low-stakes efforts and scaling up based on learnings.

5. Doing

• Maintain consistency and authenticity in your communications. Focus on winning mindshare to grow your supporter base and then work to retain and expand it.

Next Steps

If you’d like to discuss developing cultural movements and how your organisation can meaningfully grow its influence and impact, please reach out.