We may be theologically astute, but how well do we understand the people we’re trying to reach?

If any of us was asked to describe ‘a real Australian’ how would we reply? The long time BCA publication carrying that name might incline us to suggest someone who lived in remote or regional Australia. However we all know that most Australians live in the cities and towns clinging to the coast of Australia. Remember the evocative, pulsing words in A.D. Hope’s poem Australia?

And her five cities, like five teeming sores, 
Each drains her: a vast parasite robber-state
Where second hand Europeans pullulate
Timidly on the edge of alien shores.

We are, then, basically city-dwellers. But what else could we say to our questioner?

An understanding of other people’s lives and mind-set is quite fundamental for those who want to connect with them in evangelistic and mission outreach. Of course every individual is unique and therefore different from everyone else. But a general insight into Australians, their character and the pressures upon them daily is invaluable for every mission strategist.

Many people gather that information from the popular media, with social commentator Hugh Mackay’s regular weekly column a trendy source.
There are useful studies available elsewhere, many from the Australian Bureau of Statistics, that soundless organisation based in St Andrew’s House. The ABS is just above the diocesan offices. I wonder how many of the Anglican boffins from Levels 1 and 2 or their visitors from the parishes have wended their way immediately above them to mine the treasures available there for those engaged in the Mission?

Last year I talked in Southern Cross about the 2002 ABS publication Sydney… A Social Atlas. It provides a mountain of information about the suburbs and people of Sydney, all invaluable for the mission strategists of Sydney.

This year, the ABS has published Australian Social Trends 2003, a study containing descriptive material on aspects of Australian society and how these are changing over time. Based on the 2001 Census, this booklet has information about family and community, health, education and training, work, housing, and economic resources. There are feature articles on crime victimisation and feelings of safety, children’s out of school activities and household usage of computers and the internet.

The Preface says it “is designed to assist and encourage informed decision-making and to be of value to a wide audience including those engaged in research, journalism, marketing, teaching and social policy as well as anyone interested in how we live today and how we’ve changed over recent decades.”

The chapter on population characteristics indicates that we are becoming ever more conscious of our Australian-ness. The number of people who reported their ancestry as Australian had doubled from 1986 to 2001, and this could also be seen in those born in Australia with one parent born overseas. Granted, it is a new category on the census form, but the ABS researchers comment that a real change in cultural affiliation may have contributed to this. This means that when a preacher or evangelist is speaking they should keep in mind that much of the audience is far more conscious of being Australian than were congregations in past days. We are less tied to our earlier English ancestry.

Moving this into other areas, it validates Anglican attempts to create authentic Australian liturgies to be used in our churches.

Family ministry is an important plank in most parish mission strategies. The ABS gives us more insight into the families structures to which our churches minister. And there are significant changes, with an increasing percentage of one-parent families. From 1986 to 2001 the number of one-parent families increased by 53 per cent, while the number of ‘couple’ (or should I say two-parent) families with children increased by 3 per cent. So Sunday school teachers and children’s pastors, do be careful about referring to ‘Mum and Dad’ when you are addressing an audience of children. You might find that you have missed out on a child’s attention and interest because you have inadvertently rubbed a very tender, raw spot.

Australian families are increasingly balancing family and work. This statement is not new to anyone, but the statistics show the pressures this brings to family life. Since 1986, the number of two-parent families with only one parent working has declined. These were 28 per cent of families in the 2001 Census. Two-parent families with children under 15 years and both parents working made up 43 per cent of families in 2001. There is thus a growing dependence on two incomes for families, which certainly may be understood as reflecting economic demands such as the need to purchase a family home. But it may also be attributed to lifestyle choices, such a woman continuing to progress in her chosen career, or the particular family commitments such as school fees, or simply ‘keeping up with Jones’s.’

Why is it useful for us to be armed with this kind of information? Clergy and lay people in parishes are not social researchers, and the ministry training they receive is quite properly biblically- and theologically-focused. But they must also be assisted to understand the lifestyle, attitudes, and day-to-day pressures of the people among whom they minister. This can only underpin and strengthen the relevance and impact of their mission.