More than 6,500 guests attended the year-end event, which highlighted organisational developments, heritage restorations and the reach of education, prevention and volunteer programmes followed internationally—including by Scientology communities across Europe.
LOS ANGELES / BRUSSELS — 31 December 2025 — The Church of Scientology held its New Year’s Celebration 2026 at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, bringing together more than 6,500 attendees for an evening that combined a concert programme with a year-in-review presentation on developments across the Church’s international network during 2025.
The programme opened with live performances by international artists, then shifted to a review led by Scientology’s ecclesiastical leader Mr David Miscavige. In remarks quoted from the stage, Mr Miscavige framed the evening as a moment to measure results before turning the calendar, stating: “So while the rest of the planet may still be winding down its clocks—we’re here for something else entirely: to see what happens when a full year of Scientology accomplishments is unleashed all at once.”
The year-end review focused on several themes that the Church presented as defining the past year: growth in digital access and online learning; expansion and planning of new facilities; preservation of sites associated with Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard; and a selection of social programmes applying Mr Hubbard’s methodologies to issues such as drug prevention, literacy and values education.
Digital access and online learning
A significant portion of the presentation centred on the Church’s digital platforms and learning tools. The event highlighted Scientology Network, stating that viewership has grown to 11 times its level since the network’s launch and noting more than 170 awards for creative and technical excellence. The presentation showed that over one million students have enrolled in online courses, presenting those figures as part of a wider effort to make introductory materials available across languages and time zones.
For European audiences, these digital metrics are often viewed as a practical indicator of how international religious movements are adapting to changing media habits—expanding beyond in-person events to formats that can be accessed from any location, including across the continent.
Facilities and heritage: “Ideal Org” development and landmark restorations
The review also returned to the Church’s ongoing programme of facility development—often referred to as “Ideal Orgs”—highlighting openings and planned projects presented as strengthening local capacity for religious services and community engagement. One of the featured openings was the Grand Opening of the Church of Scientology in South Africa’s Eastern Cape, a 10-storey church serving Nelson Mandela Bay.
The programme also included an announcement regarding a forthcoming Ideal Church in San Juan, Puerto Rico, the first of its kind in the Caribbean and expected to open in the coming months.
Alongside these developments, the International Hubbard Ecclesiastical League of Pastors (I HELP) and Scientology Missions International (SMI) continued to expand Dianetics and Scientology introductory services through a growing network of Missions. In Valencia, Spain, the city’s Ideal Scientology Mission sustained delivery of religious services while supporting community initiatives through nearly 200 volunteers involved in United for Human Rights, The Way to Happiness and Drug-Free World. The Mission’s Volunteer Minister response was also highlighted for its role during Spain’s deadliest floods of the century, with Valencia’s Civil Guard recognising the Mission for strengthening the city’s social foundation.
The year also included a sequence of ribbon-cutting ceremonies reflecting broader Mission growth, with new European Ideal Missions opening in Plzeň (Czech Republic) and Budapest (Hungary), as well as additional openings in the United States, including Montrose (north of Los Angeles), San Jose and Riverpark near Sacramento—followed by Lakeway, Texas, which closed out the year’s schedule of openings.
Alongside new facilities, the presentation underscored a parallel emphasis on preservation—particularly sites tied to key moments in the development of Dianetics and Scientology. The Church highlighted the opening of three new L. Ron Hubbard Landmark Sites during 2025, presented as restored locations with historical significance to the movement:
- Aberdeen Road in Elizabeth, New Jersey, the location of the first Dianetics Foundation;
- Osborn Road in Phoenix, Arizona, the place where Dianetics and Scientology were unified; and
- Alexandra Park in Harare, Zimbabwe, a site connected to filmed lectures and Mr Hubbard’s only filmed interview.
These restorations are more than symbolic markers they are public-facing heritage sites—part of a broader effort to preserve buildings associated with major milestones, while making them accessible to visitors and members.
Social programmes featured in the year-in-review
Beyond organisational and heritage developments, the year-end review placed substantial emphasis on social initiatives associated with the Association for Better Living and Education (ABLE) and on professional networks described as applying Hubbard’s administrative methods in civic and commercial contexts.
Among the examples highlighted was a youth-focused Narconon facility in Sonora, Mexico, referred to as “Narconon Jóvenes”, presented as addressing addiction among teenagers. The programme also cited an example from Kenya connected to The Way to Happiness, with reductions in school drug use and lower reoffending rates in a community initiative led by former inmates.
Another case study spotlighted a Sri Lankan educator adopting Applied Scholastics study methods, with classroom gains, teacher training and subsequent discussions aimed at broader adoption across the country’s schools, as presented in the Church’s New Year 2026 year-end event.
The review additionally referenced examples linked to the World Institute of Scientology Enterprises (WISE), including European-based business and professional training stories presented as applications of administrative and organisational methods in everyday settings.
European context: visibility in Brussels and across the continent
Although the New Year event took place in the United States, the Church’s year-end review is followed by Scientology communities internationally, including across Europe. Scientology’s footprint in the continent scores more than 140 churches and missions (plus thousands of local communities and social betterment groups in at least 27 European nations. Worldwide, Scientology operates through more than 11,000 churches, missions, related organisations and affiliated groups in over 165 countries.
In Brussels, the Churches of Scientology for Europe place of worship and community building sits at Boulevard de Waterloo 103, 1000 Brussels, a European hub for religious services, information and engagement with visitors from across the continent.
Commenting on the value of year-end reflection in a European civic context, Ivan Arjona-Pelado—Representative of the Church of Scientology to the EU, OSCE, Council of Europe and the UN—said:
“At the start of a new year, Europeans traditionally look to what strengthens social cohesion—education, prevention and respect for human dignity. What matters most is sustained civic responsibility: people choosing, day after day, to help their neighbours and uphold fundamental rights in everyday life without having to ask the other if he/she is from a religion or another or from none.”
As presented during the evening, the New Year 2026 celebration was framed as both a cultural event and a structured review of priorities for 2026, with the Church pointing to continued development in digital access, facilities, heritage preservation and the community programmes highlighted in the year-in-review.
The Church of Scientology is a contemporary world religion founded by L. Ron Hubbard in the early 1950s. In Europe, Scientology churches, missions, groups and members are present across the continent and support community initiatives focused on education, prevention and community betterment, alongside religious services for Scientologists. The Church recognition as a charitable and bona fide religion continues to grow in a number of jurisdictions, reflecting ongoing engagement with civic life, humanitarian programmes and education initiatives.
Media Contact
Organization: European Office Church of Scientology for Public Affairs and Human Rights
Contact Person: Ivan Arjona
Website: https://www.scientologyeurope.org
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Address:Boulevard de Waterloo 103
City: Brussels
State: Brussels
Country:Belgium
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