It’s exciting seeing an across the board increase in enthusiasm and activity in Australia for church planting multiplication. This was certainly evident at the recent Greater Things Exponential Australia 2025 National Conference with people from many tribes not only present but enthusiastically engaging with one another.

Whilst some denominations are certainly leading the way in church planting, it’s great seeing a range of denominations from the more traditional, the mainstream and the Pentecostal denominations making concerted efforts to plant new churches.

And we need to see this happen with NCLS Research concluding that the number of Protestant churches in Australia dropped by 8% in the 5 years from 2016 to 2021. With the aging of many congregations the decline is not likely to slow and turn around unless we start planting more churches; churches that plant churches that plant churches.

The good news is that the number of churches planted in Australia for the twelve months to 30 June 2025 has shown a healthy 22% increase over the number planted in the year to June 2024, according to analysis done by Exponential Australia of church planting information contained in the New Churches Database

We believe that this figure is reliable as it is consistent with information gathered through the denominational survey Exponential Australia conducted in 2024 which indicated a 21% increase in churches planted between calendar 2023 and 2024. The denominational survey covered 5,610 Australian Protestant churches; 60% of the Protestant churches in Australia.

The New Churches Databasechurch in the year to June 2025. There were undoubtedly more churches than this planted that were not registered in the New Churches Databaseto be small. Our guess is that around 1.7% of Australian churches planted a new church in the year.

Whilst the church planting rate is far lower than it needs to be, it is significantly higher than the 1% planting rate reported by NCLS Research

The bottom line is that the increase in church planting in Australia is significant and highly encouraging. We can and should celebrate this but we must recognise that we are coming from a very low base.

Exponential Australia has a 2032 Vision Goal of seeing 10% of Australian churches planting churches in any given year from 2032.

Based on the current number of Protestant churches in Australia, that would require 936 new churches to be planted per annum. That’s a little over six times the amount currently being planted.

Sound impossible? I know it’s not because I know that our God can do immeasurably more than we can ever ask imagine. But I also believe that we can’t do in the future what we have done in the past and expect different results.

There’s a saying that preaching (and programs) add, but disciple making multiplies, and I think that this is key. Broadly speaking the Church in Australia has been strong at the former but weak at the latter. It shouldn’t be one or the other but both; both adding and multiplying.

We need to better learn and practice how we make disciples who make disciples, who plant churches that plant churches that plant churches. Multiplication DNA is critical.

With the vision goal in mind, Exponential Australia is committed to providing thought leadership that stimulates positive change towards embracing multiplication, inspiring leaders to action and fostering engagement with multiplication ministries who will serve the Church well.

Why? The answer is simple. To ignite church planting multiplication across our nation and to see the 2032 vision goal achieved, not for our sake but for the sake of our nation and in serving Jesus and seeing His will being done throughout Australia.

God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and multiply …” Genesis 1:22 (NET)

But the word of God spread and multiplied. Acts 12:24 (CSB)

For more information about the current state of church planting in Australia, you can download the Exponential Australia 2025 Church Planting Report and Infographic

Tim O’Neill

Executive Director, Exponential Australia