It will, I’m sure, come as no surprise to you that I am a reading enthusiast. But I don’t mean I read enthusiastically; I don’t. I generally find reading quite hard work (especially reading whilst remaining awake—which I concede is the more effective of the two modes of reading). No, I am a reading enthusiast because I believe wholeheartedly in its benefits. I am confident of its benefits generally and its benefits for our growth and maturity as Christians.

An organization in Australia called Australia Reads is on a mission to get more Australians reading, and they’ve published a significant report into the reading habits of Aussies in the hope of revealing potential strategies for achieving that mission.

I have now read that report. (See, their mission is working already!)

On the first page of the report, they articulate some of the general benefits of reading:

Research shows that readers sleep better [an effect I have already alluded to!], are less lonely, and are more likely to empathise with others. Reading reduces stress, strengthens our cognitive abilities, and can even extend our lives. High reading rates are globally acknowledged as a sign of a healthy, democratic society.¹

I’m not going to spend time here arguing for the benefits for Christians in reading not just their Bibles but also good Christian books. Surely I can assume that a subscriber to the weekly email of a Christian publisher is onboard with that notion?!²

But my perception is that many church leaders have kind of given up on urging people in their congregation to read, lamenting that “people just don’t read any more”.

But actually, while the report acknowledges a decline in reading, I found the findings surprisingly encouraging.

The report divided the surveyed audience into six segments:

• Avid readers: The daily devotee (22.4%)
• Engaged readers: The regular but busy reader (30.6%)
• Ambivalent readers: The uncertain explorer (14.8%)
• Aspirational readers: The eager yet struggling seeker (14.7%)
• Lapsed readers: The forgotten book lover (7.1%)
• Uninterested non-readers: The complete disconnect (10.4%)

What the survey found is that the vast majority of Australians read books (in their leisure time), and the vast majority of them aspire to read more than they currently do. It is really only the uninterested non-readers, often with physiological challenges that make reading much more of a struggle, who understandably have little desire to read.

As you’d probably expect, in the first two segments there was a correlation to a higher level of university education. Given that our church demographics do skew more towards the tertiary educated than our broader society, we could therefore safely assume that the proportion of ‘readers’ (actual or aspiring) in our congregations is remarkably high.

In other words, when church leaders say “people don’t read any more”, that simply is not true. If they say “people don’t read very much anymore”, that may be more true. But the reality check for me out of this report is the finding that most people want to read more. It is one of people’s top-ranked leisure pursuits, and they would like to do more of it.

There are lots of reasons why people want to read more but don’t. As the report highlights, for example, phases of life when people have high work and caring responsibilities can inhibit them from turning their good intentions into reality. Nonetheless, there are practical strategies that can help, like carving out a regular reading time, having an inviting reading space, cutting down on screen time, logging your reading, etc.

But for me, the big point of interest—alongside the clear indication that people want to read more—was this report finding from page 10:

The more that the people around us value reading, the more likely we are to be a frequent reader, and feel positively about reading. When those around us visibly engage in reading or talk about its importance, it reinforces the social norm that reading is valuable and accepted. These messages are particularly impactful when received from people that we respect. [italics added]

Of course, it’s possible that you happen to be in a church full of uninterested non-readers. Possible… but unlikely.

More likely is that you have a congregation that actually feels positive about reading but lacks the motivation to make it a higher priority than social media, TV and eating out.³

The good news is that people who are respected have the ability to significantly influence the motivation and habits of those church members.

So pastors, Bible study leaders, youth group leaders and other respected churchgoers… could you “visibly engage in reading or talk about its importance” in order to help establish “the social norm that reading is valuable and accepted” in your church life?

Knowing the potential benefits, is that not worth a try?

Footnotes

1. B Wright, A Lennox & F Mata, ‘Understanding Australian readers: Behavioural insights into recreational reading’, BehaviourWorks Australia and Monash Sustainable Development Institute, February 2025.↩

2. If you need some convincing, read Tony Payne’s marvelous article: ‘The road to spiritual health is paved with Christian books’.↩

3. The only three leisure activities that rank higher than reading.↩