The Australian Environment for Sports Chaplaincy

What might the third and twenty first centuries have in common?

Does God act through history?

Age of anxiety

30 fold increase in Christianityin 3rd Century

50 fold increase in no religionin last century

Low commitment to religion

No Religious Identity• Increased from 4% to 22% in last 100 years,

mostly in past 4 decades

The ‘Secular Tsunami’ of Youth• The rising trend of no religious identity is being

driven by this generation’s young people.

Most Young Australians are Open to a Belief in God*

*Tables provided by Rev Dr. Anne Wright - Murdoch University Graduate Chaplaincy Degree Program (Summary, Kaldor, Hughes, Black 2010).

Belief 13-15 16-18 19-24

“There is a god who relates to us in a personal way”

39 38 40

“There is a god who is not personal: cosmic force”

8 7 11

“There is a God but can’t say if personal or impersonal”

3 4 3

“There is a higher being that cares about us” 19 15 14“There is some kind of life force of power: indifferent to us”

8 15 13

“There is no God or higher being” 15 16 12“Can’t say” 8 6 6

Less than one in four young Australians (13-24) relate their beliefs to Christianity

More than one in two are not committed to any religion

Reflectively Christian 18%Uncritically Christian 6New Age/Buddhist 2New Age/ Buddhist spirituality 6Other known religions 2Land Nature Spirituality 9Something beyond 16Uncertain about beyond 27Nothing Beyond 14

Where do people find community?...

• Australians are 40 times more likely to be part of a sports club community than a church community

• Each year 6.2 million people of all ages take part in organised club sport or recreation

… Where do people find community?

• Sport participation is dramatically increasing. Between 2001 and 2010 there was a 71% increase in Australian rules alone.

• 60% of school aged children are in organised sport outside of school hours... That is.. voluntarily!

• Only 7% of Australians attend church more than 10 times a year and those under 40 are greatly diminishing!

WA Young People’s Sports Population and Beliefs

Age (yrs)Participate in Sport Believes in a God

Believes God Relates and Cares

(ABS, 2012) 85% of pop. 60% of pop.

5-14 189,000 160,650 113,400

15-17 81,000 68,850 48,600

18-24 168,000 142,800 100,800

25-34 252,000 214,200 151,200

35-44 240,000 204,000 144,000

Total 930,000 790,500 558,000

“The harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are few” Mt 9:37

What kind of salt does God want?

Storage and preservation salt?

Or…….

Salt with power and movement sharing God’s grace and love with others?

“Therefore go…”

“The Christian chaplain is committed to proclaim God’s love to a world that may never step through the doors of a church; therefore the chaplain steps through the doors of the church into the world.”--- (Paget & McCormack, “The Work of the Chaplain”)

You are now invited to belong to a fresh expression of Christian mission

Creative discovery and change

“What gifts can we use andhow might we use them?”

“What energy do we have to do anything about what we have discovered?”

Conversation energy snowball

InvitationConversationCommitmentAccountability