Key Ministries
- Sending mission partners
We work alongside New Zealand churches to send their people to serve cross-culturally. This involves both mobilisation and ongoing member care. - Equipping churches
We equip local churches to both be aware of global mission and understand how to be missional. We act as a mission advocate and coach.
Spiritual Landscape in New Zealand
New Zealand’s spiritual landscape is changing rapidly. According to the 2023 census, 51.6 per cent of the population identifies as having ‘no religion’, a steady increase since 2006. Despite this, 81 per cent express some form of spiritual belief. A key reason many explore spirituality is witnessing others who genuinely live out sincere faith.
About 31 per cent identify as Christian, yet only 12.4 per cent attend church regularly, marking a significant decline from previous decades when New Zealand was known as a Christian nation with the highest mission workers per capita worldwide.
While the church’s cultural influence has diminished, vibrant faith communities remain, and there is opportunity for people to encounter Christ through friends, family, and faith communities. The society is multicultural and religiously diverse, making a clear presentation of biblical Christianity crucial. A renewed movement of the Holy Spirit (Wairua Tapu) has recently been observed in some churches.
SIM New Zealand supports the church by encouraging believers to build relationships across faiths and cultures for the sake of the gospel.
Please pray
- For new prayer groups to start that give all generations a chance to participate in praying for mission
- For our mobilisers as they focus on three New Zealand communities this year — Palmerston North, Christchurch and Dunedin — coming alongside church pastors and congregations to build mission awareness and engagement
- For four new long-term mission partners who sense God’s calling to serve cross-culturally outside New Zealand
- For our board as they work with leadership to refresh our next six-year strategic plan
- For strategic partnerships with churches to be developed through mutual relationships
Latest stories from around SIM
Before anyone shares the good news of Jesus, God may already be at work preparing the way. One family serving in the Middle East has seen how dreams and fr...
Rania* grew up in a North African city where music filled her days. She found an unexpected refuge behind the door of an old church. There she discovered t...
In North Africa, where spiritual opposition and persecution can make ministry challenging, workers are learning to persevere in prayer, trusting God to bri...
Meet Lily and Peter, two children growing up in North Africa. They share what everyday life is like, from school and friendships to faith, family, hobbies ...
For Tony, sharing Jesus in the Middle East starts with friendship. From watching football on the street to learning Arabic, he is building relationships wi...
A look at North Africa’s diverse nomadic groups, how modern pressures are reshaping their lives, and the meaningful ways Christian believers can serve am...
The Middle East and North Africa are home to hundreds of millions of people who have never heard the truth of Jesus. God is opening remarkable doors across...
Across North Africa, Amazigh communities are reclaiming their language, culture and identity. As they rediscover their heritage including a largely forgott...
Richard and Valérie Morris have spent decades helping mission workers understand the spiritual realities they may face — from confronting fear and oppre...
Widows in Benin are rebuilding their lives through an unexpected gift: two goats that offer income, dignity and the reminder that they are deeply loved by ...
Mission worker Dominique has spent the past eight months serving women in Nigeria’s Plateau State, where hundreds of widows are rebuilding their lives af...
We asked mission worker Ryan, how do learn to love the people and culture you serve?