Counting What Congregations Do
The 2026 National Church Life Survey (NCLS) gives Uniting Church congregations a chance to record what is happening in their churches and communities, and to use that information to plan for the future.
For many congregations, a survey can feel like another job to add to a busy list. But the 2026 National Church Life Survey (NCLS) gives Uniting Church congregations a chance to record what is happening in their churches and communities, and to use that information to plan for the future.
The idea of counting people and communities is not new. Luke’s account of the birth of Jesus begins with a census ordered by the Roman emperor Augustus.
“In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered.”
Luke 2:1
Joseph travelled from Nazareth to Bethlehem to be registered because he was descended from the house and family of David. It was an administrative exercise carried out across the Roman Empire, but Luke places it at the beginning of the story of Jesus’ birth.
More than 2,000 years later, the NCLS is also about gathering information about people and communities. But rather than counting people for government records, it gives churches an opportunity to understand their own life and work.
The NCLS has tracked the life of Australian churches every five years for more than 35 years. The 2026 survey is the eighth national survey and includes churches from more than 20 denominations.
For Uniting Church congregations, the timing is significant. The last NCLS took place during COVID-19, when many aspects of church life were disrupted. Five years on, the survey provides an opportunity to see what has changed.
Linda Barclay, the Synod’s NCLS regional coordinator, says the survey provides a way for congregations to hear from their people and better understand their church.
“It is an opportunity to understand what the people who come along to church are experiencing,” she says.
The NCLS includes several surveys. The Attender Survey allows people aged 15 and over to share their experiences, hopes and views about church life. An optional Child Survey gives children aged eight to 14 a chance to have their say, while the Leader Survey looks at leadership development and wellbeing.
For many congregations, the Church Activities Survey will also provide useful information.
Completed by one administrator or senior leader, the survey records the activities taking place in a congregation. This includes worship, Bible studies and children’s activities, as well as community meals, food programs, school partnerships and other forms of community engagement.
“It is just capturing the activities that take place in that congregation,” Linda says.
Recording these activities is important because much of the work carried out by congregations happens beyond Sunday worship.
Across NSW and the ACT, Uniting Church congregations run community pantries, provide meals, operate bus services, support schools, run playgroups and make their buildings available to other community organisations.
The NCLS data will help build a picture of this activity across Australia. NCLS Research is also using the 2026 data as part of a National Impact Audit being developed with NAYBA, which aims to measure the social contribution of local churches and other faith communities.
For congregations, the survey provides evidence that can help explain their contribution to local communities.
“If we understand what is happening in our congregations, we can start to tell that story,” Linda says.
That information can be useful when churches are working with local councils, community organisations and governments. It can demonstrate the scale of local activity, identify opportunities for partnerships and support applications for funding.
The information can also help congregations understand their own work.
A congregation may know it is busy, but recording its activities can provide a clearer picture of what is actually happening. It can highlight strengths, gaps and opportunities, while allowing congregations to compare their activities with wider patterns across the Australian Church.
The Attender Survey provides another source of information. Participating churches receive a Church Life Profile and resources to help them consider the results and identify areas for action.
The 2026 survey also provides an opportunity to look at how congregational life has changed since the last NCLS.
What happened to activities introduced during the pandemic? Have online forms of participation continued? Have new small groups or community partnerships developed? Are congregations reaching different people?
The NCLS can help answer those questions with data rather than assumptions.
The results will also provide a broader picture of the Uniting Church at a time of organisational change, including the move towards three Presbyteries. Having current information about congregational life will be useful for planning and resourcing.
The survey also captures the diversity of the Uniting Church, with participation available in several languages. For Pacifica, Korean, multicultural, rural, regional and urban congregations, taking part helps ensure their experiences are included in the national picture.
