A church network in Australia is making moves to revitalise faith across the nation.

According to recent data from the 2021 Australian Census, only 44 per cent of Australians now identify as Christian, a sharp drop from 52 per cent five years earlier.

Meanwhile, 40 per cent of the population claim no religious affiliation, with young Australians increasingly distancing themselves from organised religion.

In response, Reach Australia, a network of over 260 churches, has set an ambitious goal to plant 300 new churches by 2030.

Derek Hanna, the director of Plant for Reach Australia, shared this vision at the network's national conference in May, urging church leaders to embrace the challenge.

According to the Christian Post, Hanna acknowledged the daunting task ahead, but encouraged optimism, pointing out that the network had already planted 145 churches.

To meet the goal, they will need to start 155 more over the next six years and train 800 new Gospel workers.

“You might think it’s impossible, but we believe in a God who raised Jesus from the dead. That’s impossible too!” Hanna said.

He emphasised that despite the decline, the shared conviction of 1,300 leaders at the conference is evidence of God’s work in Australia.

With an average four per cent growth rate in church planting over the past 20 years, the network believes they are on track to achieve their goal.

"This is not triumphalism, but an acknowledgement of what God is doing at this moment in history," Hanna stated.