Portfolio of Evidence – Brisbane’s Young Christians

Members

Alix Lee

Becky Arthur

Luke Faithfull

Main Story
Why Brisbane’s youth are returning to religion

Studies show that there has been an overall decrease in rates of religious affiliation among the Australian public (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2012). These studies suggest that the decline is linked to a failure to attract young people to engage with religion (Davis & Yip, 2004).

As a result, churches are facing an uphill battle to maintain and recruit young members. The Pentecostal Church, however, is developing a devout following of young worshipers through the successful re-branding and stylizing of traditional teachings. ‘New believers’ are engaged via social media and encouraged to attend services akin to rock concerts for the spiritually inclined. This spiritual subculture of youth is well represented in Brisbane, where Citipointe Church is the most popular place of worship.

We propose to investigate the reasons behind this spike in religious youth in Pentecostal churches by:
+ Attending church services that are specifically targeted at young people (filming footage of sermons, testimonials and worship) to understand the importance of the gathering as a place to discuss and explore similarities in beliefs and reaffirm faith;
+ Interviewing youth worshippers and pastors at Brisbane’s Citipointe Church as well as members of UQ’s Evangelical Society as primary sources to explain how these churches are recruiting youth and why they listen to God’s call;
+ Examining the various tactics used to engage young people, including Citipointe’s virtual presence on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, blogs and more;
+ Looking at how churches gain new members by ‘encouraging’ current members to go out and recruit ‘new believers’, and,
+ Investigating Citipointe’s various youth outreach programs, like YASociety and Red Frogs, which engage wider sections of youth in a non-religious capacity, yet are treated as another avenue in which to recruit new members and gain recognition for the church.

Our research into the facts and statistics of our story seem to reinforce the idea that fewer young people are identifying as religious, yet certain faiths seem to appeal more to young people than others (ABS, 2013). We discovered that almost a third of church-attending youths identify as Pentecostals, the fastest growing denomination in the country. The 2011 census confirmed this analysis as the number of people reporting as part of the Pentecostal faith increased by one fifth. This data allowed us to form the beginnings of a story angle that we pursued through interviews, observation and further document analysis.

The interviews we conducted with two young religious men were vital, despite the differences between them. The first interviewee was Bryan Tay, a member of UQ’s Evangelical Society and a born again Christian. He discussed the Evangelical Society at UQ, how it is “vital for the community presence and to have a community of people who are going through the same things as you, so at university” and the efforts made by him and others in his church to recruit/save new members. “There’s always a focus in telling of the gospel and sharing with people we know as well as people we don’t know… if someones going to be hit by a car you’re going to tell them and try and save them from it instead of letting them be hit by a car so in that same way you know we want to be sharing with more people so more people can be saved” When questioned about Citipointe/Pentecostal faith he claimed that it “involves a lot more hype and spirit and it doesn’t quite delve into the difficult things which are central to faith”, which is a reason why it might be so appealing to the younger generation.

The second interviewee was Joash Barnes, a member of the aforementioned Citipointe congregation and our key primary source. He gave a lengthy interview where he discussed his motivations for joining the Church, and the catalyst that inspired an invitation from one of his now close friends to attend Citipointe. He attributes Citipointe’s success in attracting young people to their ability to appropriate the teachings in a relatable way that appeals to and engages young people and their various interests.

We also plan on incorporating observational evidence throughout the course of our story. Group members attended church services and Evangelical Society events in order to better understand exactly how this youth religious culture operates.

One of our members attended an ES event designed to “answer the big questions”. It was not specified as an event specifically for members, and all religious affiliations (including agnostics/atheists) were encouraged to attend. The tone of the event was very friendly and encouraging. The introductory speaker said “If anyone would like to talk more about jesus… put your contact details down and we can provide you with information…. Whatever your religious affiliation we are always here to talk”. There was no hostility or fire and brimstone preaching. The talk itself was designed to be highly relevant to youth. Although the speaker did discuss a biblical tale in depth, he kept referring back to modern day problems and issues relevant to students. He discussed “Apps, tv shows, gap year travelling, hanging out, parties, clubs” and how great they may seem but that religion is much more eternal and lasting.

Also important to the narrative we are developing in our story are images and music we hope to incorporate in order to present the fullest experience to our readers. These pieces of multimedia are vital as they will immerse our audience in a way that text can not on its own.

Secondary Angle
How does Citipointe Church make and spend money in Brisbane?

Through its various outreach programs, donations, fundraising and tithing, Citipointe is a lucrative institution. Some of the money is donated to charity, but is the rest simply funneled back into the Church, with significant tax breaks. The Church is not legally required to declare its earnings or pay high taxes—meaning that its spending habits remain secret, and the public unaware of where the money goes. Generous churchgoers have a vested interest and right to know how their money is being spent, and for whom.

According to its website, Citipointe accepts donations for its countless outreach programs, including Red Frogs, Citipointe Ministry College, Community Care, SHE Rescue Homes as well as its community-support projects based in Nepal, Sri Lanka and Vanuatu (Citipointe, 2014). Clicking on the ‘giving’ link atop the right side of the webpage directs users to a new, conveniently vague page that fails to detail their spending habits, or their business ventures that also generate earnings.

In this potential secondary angle, we would want to shed light on some of these earning and spending habits, particularly those which incorporate government funding.

Treatment

Our story offers scope for a diverse range of treatments. At this stage we are hoping to create a multimedia story experience, including a short documentary-style video, a text story with accompanying photos and sound clips of edited interviews. We also hope to play music we have obtained from a Citipointe CD quietly in the background of our page in order to create context, immersing our audience in the  atmosphere of a church service.

Primary and Secondary Source Evidence

Evangelical Society event observations

Bryan Tay key interview quotes

Joash Barnes interview excerpt

Logan Lee Citipointe Interview

Citipointe Church Observations

The Citipointe church distributes these professional looking business cards to encourage attendance at their services

The Citipointe church distributes these professional looking business cards to encourage attendance at their services

Citipointe church has an active social media presence

References

Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2012). Reflecting a Nation: Stories from the 2011 Census. Retrieved from http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/Lookup/2071.0main+features902012-2013

Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2013). Losing my Religion? Retrieved April 2, 2014, from http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/Lookup/4102.0Main+Features30Nov+2013

Citipointe Church. (2014). Giving. Retrieved from http://bris.citipointechurch.com/giving

Davis, T. & Yip, J. (2004). Reconciling Christianity and Modernity: Australian Youth and Religion. Advances in Consumer Research, 31, 113-117.

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