​The results of the 2013 census confirm the steep decline of Christianity in "God's Own Country" since 1996. Seventeen years ago 63.8% of Kiwis stated that they belonged to a Christian faith. The latest census statistics put that figure at 44.5%.

Is the church on the way out in NZ? Why is Christianity doing so poorly in the modern world?

The latest issue of Inside Life magazine looks at this issue. It surveys the main reasons many people are no longer interested in church, and outlines some of the benefits of church attendance. Church can and should be a dynamic, encouraging and meaningful experience, and the Head of the Church, Jesus Christ, assures us it will never die out!

Check it out at insidelife.org.nz.

(The church pictured was damaged in the September quake in Christchurch, and was home to the Coptic Church who purchased it from the Methodist Church. The building, built in 1902, suffered extensive damage, and had to be demolished. Image © Lois Mcartney | Dreamstime.com)