Clement Paligaru: Christianity has a strong place in the life of many Pacific Islanders and here in the Cook Islands it's no different. But church going culture is changing here because of shifting attitudes and a changing world.

Bishop Tutai Pere - Chair, Cook Islands Religious Advisory Council: It is the heartbeat of the Cook Islands. It occupies a very central, a very major part of the life of a Cook Islander.

Female churchgoer: Not coming to church or even having religion in my life is like (I'm) not complete.

Female churchgoer: It gives you that spiritual background that I think that everyone needs.

Male churchgoer: I find it is a place for me to find peace.

Female churchgoer: It's God's day. That's why we wear our proper dress.

Clement Paligaru: Christianity first came to the Cook Islands in the early 1800's. Most of the population converted to the new religion, credited for ending tribal conflict in the country.

Bishop Tutai Pere: It put a stop to war. It put a stop to separation and hostilities from one village to another. The missionaries were able to tear down those walls of separation.

Clement Paligaru: For more than a century, church going culture was defined by the dominant Cook Islands Christian Church.

Bishop Tutai Pere: Our Cook Islands traditional church, which is the Cook Islands Christian Church, has a unique traditional type of singing we call the imanatuki.

Clement Paligaru: Many of these traditions continued, despite the arrival of other Christian Churches - the Catholics in the 1900s, followed by the Seventh Day Adventists and the Mormons. But in recent decades, as in many parts of the world, Christianity in the Cook Islands started facing challenges.

Bishop Tutai Pere: There's been a noticeable, major decline in the attendance of church for employment reasons. People are beginning to find jobs in hotels and motels which requires them certain time and conflicts with their time of church service.

Makirere Poila, Cook Islands Christian Church: People (are) too lazy to come to church - they're just watching TV. Most of the time they stay home, they go barbeque, down the beaches, you know, do their own thing on Sunday.

Clement Paligaru: Each year, hundreds of Cook Islanders also leave for countries like Australia and New Zealand.

Bishop Tutai Pere: Then they join in other churches available there in New Zealand and Australia. And when they come back they bring what they have been affiliated to.

Rev. Tangimetua Tangatatutai - President, Cook Islands Christian Church: The church has gone through a turmoil period. In fact in the last 20 years we have been fighting against with our young people.

Rev Tuaine Ngametua - Cook Islands Christian Church: Because they always are leaving us, staying home, every day, fed up with our way of worshipping.

Rev Tangimetua Tangatatutai: But then in the last 10 years, the church agreed. Well let's give the opportunity to our young people to express their faith, using these keyboards, the guitars and all that.

Female churchgoer: I think the church needs to spice it up a bit.

Clement Paligaru: In recent years there's been an influx of new churches here, and as a result, Christian practices in the Cook Islands are also changing. Most are evangelical style churches but some criticise the proliferation of Christianity in the Cooks.

Michael Tavioni - Cook Islands' master carver: What bothers me is there seems to be many types of branches of the Christian church - basically they said the other one was wrong. Then, from that branch, another breakaway. And that was wrong. And this is the right one. Who do you believe?

Bishop Tutai Pere: I think very definitely there are some churches who will still hold on to the faith and practice of forefathers. But there will also be a huge shift to a very modern, to capture the interest, to capture in whatever way it means you can use it - technologically or whatever, the DVD, the TV, the sound, the music and the group singing.

Female churchgoer: We worship God in a very active way, in a very lively way. And I would not be able to worship God in a church that everything is dead.

Male churchgoer: I prefer it here because it's vibrant - you don't go to sleep.

Michael Tavioni: Christianity will never die because people are such that they are emotional.

Bishop Tutai Pere: If we want to stay one of the paradise nation(s) and country of the people, Christianity is the key factor to hold and maintain the peace and tranquillity and integrity of the country, there's no doubt about it.