The Church in the Pacific
1 The decline of Christianity is especially acute in Australia, New Zealand and New Caledonia with a rapid rise in secularism, family breakdown and indifference to spiritual things
2 Nominalism in the Pacific Islands has increased due to inadequate teaching on true repentance, personal faith and the need for a daily walk with the Lord
3 The rapid growth of Mormonism in Polynesia, winning many nominal Protestants, is a rebuke to the traditional churches
4 The relative failure to launch an effective inter-state evangelical network
5 The need to revive a missions vision. After a century of decline in missions commitment in the Islands, renewed vision has sprung up
6 Completing the task of world evangelization in the Pacific
a) Remaining unevangelized and unoccupied tribes in New Guinea’s interior —
b) The few evangelical believers in parts of New Caledonia, French Polynesia and on many of the nominally Christian island groups
c) The Indians of Fiji, the largest unreached people in the Pacific
d) The Chinese are increasing through immigration
e) Bible translation. This is a major necessity
Religion
Overview:
In every state and territory except Fiji the great majority of people are Christian, but nominalism and secularism have eroded commitment to the Church.