On a cold Wednesday evening (May 16), dozens of faithful Christians gather at the Saesoon Presbyterian Church in Western Sydney.
The Korean congregation sing and pray for over an hour, the entire service in their mother tongue.
It’s an increasingly common scenario that reflects the changing nature of Christian worship across Australia.
From masses in-language to weekday Catholic services, churchgoers say the trend of more diversity at traditionally Anglo gatherings has been hard to miss.
The latest census data revealed that many Australians are turning their backs on religion.
The congregation at Sydney Saesoon Presbyterian Church. Source: SBS News
But Father Jim Mckeon, a pastor at Our Lady of Dolours, says Asian families are keeping Christian traditions alive at his parish.
A recent National Church Life Survey found the majority of churchgoers with a Chinese background are under 50 years old.
Father Jim Mckeon at Our Lady of Dolours Catholic Church. Source: SBS News
Emeritus Professor of Sociology at Monash University, Gary Bouma, told SBS News while census data shows most recent Chinese migrants claim 'no religion', a third of Asian migrants do identify as Christians.
Bouma said many migrants find a sense of community and belonging by going to church.
A translated passage is displayed at Sydney Saesoon Presbyterian Church. Source: SBS News
Reverend Fie Marino works with different multicultural groups at the Uniting Church in NSW and the ACT, including Pacific Islanders, Koreans and Chinese Australians.
“It's not going to look the way it looks now, it's going to look very different and it's going to have a very different flavour here in Australia.”
