There can be no sugar-coating of the numbers. The religious statistics surfaced by the 2025 General Household Survey, published today (June 30), paint a sobering picture for the church in Singapore.

The 1.8-percentage-point dip in the overall percentage of Christians (Protestants and Catholics combined), from 18.9% to 17.1%, marks the first recorded decline in Christianity’s share of Singapore’s resident population after four decades of uninterrupted growth.

With the Catholic demographic growing, the overall fall was down to the notable drop in the Protestant population, from 11.9% to 9.5%.

These trends are reflected in the absolute numbers:

While the Catholic population rose by 13% since 2020, the Protestant population fell by almost 66,000 – a 16% drop, which again marks the first time that the Protestant population and the total Christian population saw a recorded decrease in Singapore.

This fall cannot merely be attributed to death by ageing, with drops noted in every age group. When comparing the same “cohort” between the 2020 Census of Population and the 2025 General Household Survey – for example, those that were 15-19 in 2020 would now be in the 20-24 age bracket in 2025 – every age group demonstrated a sharp decrease.

Coupled with the rise in those professing “no religion” – from 20% in 2020 to 23.9% in 2025 – there are clear signs of a drift away from Christianity in the Protestant denominations.

Ahead of the release of these figures, there was concern about how the COVID-19 had affected the church, with anecdotal evidence of reduced attendance in some churches in the years following the global pandemic. The rise of the online church was not enough to mitigate the impact of a season in which many lost their church-going habit, and possibly their faith.

There should and will be much soul-searching done by the Singapore church.

Every Christian should grieve this decline, for every number represents a potential lost soul.

There should and will be conversations at every level of church, dissecting the factors causing the decline. While no one church can be responsible for the whole Kingdom, we each have our gate and wall to build and maintain.

There must be the humility needed to change what needs to be changed, be it shedding old wineskins for new; ineffective methods of evangelism in search of more fruitful ones; and uninspired discipleship models for fresh approaches that convict and excite every generation.

But amid the tendency toward discouragement in the face of such news, and allowing the carnal mind to guide our response, we must remember the theological truth that every correction issued from God is a gift of mercy.

Mercy means there is no lost cause. God keeps us alive by His love, and His grace avails redemptive pathways to those who will repent and rethink their ways.

I believe the timing of the statistics is no coincidence, coming the day before the annual LoveSingapore 40.Day Season of Prayer.

Since 1997, the churches in Singapore have come together in the 40.Days leading up to our National Day, starting on 1 July. This year marks the 30th straight year of united, synchronised prayer across the nation, uninterrupted even by the global pandemic.

Just before Jesus would be arrested at the Garden at Gethsemane, Luke 22:45 records that Jesus found His disciples asleep, “exhausted from sorrow”. They had taken on so much bad news, from the grief of hearing Jesus say He is going away (John 16:5-7), to having one of the 12 betray Jesus and leave them.

Jesus’ response: “Why are you sleeping? Get up and pray!” (Luke 22:46)

The publication of the statistics must give new and real urgency to our prayers. Rather than be resigned to despair, we must take this as a wake-up call – a rallying call – to take up spiritual arms. Why are you sleeping? Get up and pray!

The new evangelism and discipleship wineskins must come. The pruning of the church is needful.

But first things first. We need to pray.

Join us for this 40.Day Season of Prayer, as we look to God to help us Turn Singapore Godward, Win the Youth, and Bless the Nations.