Increasing numbers of Irish people are converting to evangelical Christianity because of its relevance to everyday life, it was claimed today.
Research from the Evangelical Alliance Ireland (EAI) today estimated the total number of congregations attending evangelical churches every week in Dublin was up to 13,000.
The EAI said there were now 130 church communities in the Dublin area, of which only 37 per cent existed in 1980, and 25 per cent of which had started within the last decade.
Evangelical churches had a variety of affiliations, with the highest number aligned to the Pentecostal church; others were members of Baptist, Church of Ireland, Presbyterian and Independent sects.
Congregations had grown to as high as 600 people in some churches in the centre of the city, while others in the suburbs were typically around 100, Sean Mullen, national director of EAI, said.
"We are committed to communicating a perspective on life that is viable and effective, and which can be applied to the complex issues facing Irish society today," he said.
Speaking at the publication of a booklet that aims to dispel myths surrounding evangelism, Mr Mullen said the growth in popularity of the faith was down to its message.
"It's a commitment to a message and a way of life as opposed to the commitment to the institution. . . . Evangelism is the idea of a radical commitment, of a lifestyle based on Jesus's message, that it's still possible to live that way."
The Together We Believeeditor, Patrick Mitchel, said the booklet was not an attempt to create a new doctrine but to express what evangelists had in common, regardless of which church they were aligned to.
He said the central tenets of evangelism were a belief in the Bible, a desire to follow the teachings of Jesus, personal conversion and putting faith into action.
PA