We are definitely living in challenging times right now. In the midst of this national and international crisis, we must help parents keep their eyes on Jesus and His love.
And it is vital that we provide them with clear steps for staying connected to a local church.
It is extremely important to track how Millennials are responding spiritually to COVID-19. The reason – it’s not just for their own personal spiritual health, but for their children’s (Gen Z) as well.
Barna recently released a report that reveals that…
- 50% of Millennial (young parents) churchgoers are not attending online services.
- 35% of Gen Xers
- 26% of Boomers have also stopped attending online services.
When Millennial parents have stopped attending services, it means in all likelihood their Gen Z children are not either.
Yes, I know that attending church in person has been all over the board as churches try to navigate starting in person services back. Many churches are also providing great online programming for kids and students. But the truth is, at least half of parents are not watching the online services and I would say the same holds true with their children as well.
Barna has identified 3 groups during this COVID-19 world:
- People who have continued to engage by watching their home church.
- People who have started watching the online services of another church.
- People who are not watching anything online.
One big thing to note is this – the younger people are, the more likely it is that they stopped attending church during this lockdown.
Contrast that with this. People who have stopped attending church online during this time, report higher levels of anxiety and stress. While those who are staying in church (online or in person), report having a higher level of security.
We must remember that as parents, our children are watching us.
- Where are we going for encouragement and Biblical teaching?
- Are we modeling what it means to be faithful to our church, either online or in person?
- Are we using the children’s discipleship tools and resources that our church is providing for us?
- Are we taking time to pray with and for our children?
- Are we showing our children what it means to trust in God and let Him be our peace?
Encourage the parents in your ministry to be the spiritual leaders God is calling them to be. Our kids will look back one day and remember how we handled this crisis. Let’s leave a legacy of faith and trust in God.
This article originally appeared here.
