Church History
The islands, which are today known as New Zealand, were discovered in 1642 after the discovery of Australia. In 1840 the Treaty of Waitangi was signed between the Maori and Great Britain resulting in New Zealand becoming a British colony. The teachings of Christ were first brought to New Zealand in 1841. Samuel Marsden from the British Missionary Society preached the first gospel sermon on December 25, 1841. In November 1843 Thomas Jackson (Glasgow Scotland) was the first to bring restoration movement principles to the country. By the year 1885, there were about 25 churches that had been established with a membership of over 1,200. Between 1844-1903, the churches in New Zealand had grown to 40 congregations with a national membership of about 2,500. In 2004, the number of congregations had decreased to about 20 with a membership of about 615. Just recently, two new church plant efforts have commenced, one in Christchurch and another in a suburb of Auckland. Kiwi churches are seeing the desperate need for action and several are taking steps in a proactive direction. *History information ("From Cottages to Congregations" by Mark Willis)