How are Millennial parents influencing their children’s faith?
- 75 percent of parents married to spouses of the same religion say they pray or read Scripture with their children.
- 70 percent of parents married to spouses of the same religion say they send their children to religious education programs such as Sunday School.
- 82 percent of households where one parent is religious and the other is a none, say their child is being raised in a religion.
Are parents passing their faith to their kids?
- Among those who say they were raised exclusively by Protestants, roughly 80 percent now identify with Protestantism, including 80 percent of those raised by two Protestant parents and 75 percent of those raised by a single parent who was Protestant.
- Among those raised by one Protestant and one religious “none,” 56 percent now identify with Protestantism, while 34 percent are religiously unaffiliated.
- Those raised by a Protestant and a Catholic are divided among those who now identify with Protestantism (38 percent), Catholicism (29 percent), and no religion (26 percent).
What about single parents sharing their faith?
Whether one was raised by two people who shared the same faith or by a single parent seems to have little effect on whether that person carries the religion of his or her parent or parents into adulthood. Among adults raised by two Catholic parents, for instance, 62 percent describe themselves as Catholics today. So do 58 percent of those raised by a single parent who was Catholic.
Are parents taking their children to church?
- 65 percent of parents attend worship service with their children at least a few times a year.
- 83 percent of evangelical parents are taking their children to church.
- 78 percent of Catholic parents are taking their children to church.
- 67 percent of mainline Protestant parents are taking their children to church.
- 69 percent of parents, who are Nones, seldom or never take their children to church.
Look closer at these stats. You’ll see a spiritual story line for the next generation. If we want to change the story line of the next generation, then we must see the writers changed…their parents.
5 Ways to Make This Happen.
1. We must always be thinking parents.
We should always keep parents in mind when we are strategizing, planning and preparing.
2. We must always be influencing parents.
We can do this by speaking into their lives weekly and at key times such as baby dedication, graduations, baptisms, etc.
3. We must always be partnering with parents.
We should always be looking for ways to close the gap between church and home.
4. We must always be encouraging parents.
Parenting isn’t easy. If you are one, you know that. Influencing parents will not happen by scolding them for what they are not doing, but through inspiring and encouraging them about the spiritual influence they can have.
5. We must always be empowering parents.
We can do this by equipping them with the tools, resources and knowledge they need to impact their children spiritually.
Your turn! The floor is yours. How do you influence parents in your ministry? How do you equip them to nurture their children’s faith?
This article originally appeared here.
