Families have stopped prioritising church following the pandemic, and church leaders are being told we must do much more than trying to ‘coax’ them back.
Researchers found that since the pandemic, families’ engagement with church had fallen by almost half (48% of those surveyed) – yet faith in the home appeared to have improved. Just 16% of families indicated an increase in their engagement with church since the pandemic.
The study was carried out by Liverpool Hope University and sponsored by organisations including Care for the Family, Evangelical Alliance and the National Institute for Christian Education Research. The authors of the report describe the drop in family attendance as ‘concerning’ and said there is a ‘significant disconnect between the perceptions of church leaders and parents about what is needed going forward’.
The research revealed a connection between attendance at Sunday morning church services and the value of faith nurture at home. One in four parents said the local church provides no resources to support children’s faith but almost nine in 10 wanted it to provide – or at least signpost - them to specific activities and resources to help families in their spiritual growth.
The report authors said: ‘Considering that the willingness of these families to respond to the survey indicates that they are likely to be more engaged than average, it is concerning to see that a significant proportion of the participants have decreased church engagement over pandemic times.’
Churches must, said the report, consider how to respond to the apparent change in family ethos and practice. They cannot simply ‘coax them back into church attendance’.
However, there appears to be a willingness on all sides to move forward together; the researchers found virtually all the parents and church leaders want the church to work in partnership with families to nurture children’s faith.
Andy Frost, Director of Share Jesus International (one of the sponsors of the research), said: ‘As I meet with church leaders, it’s clear that the pandemic has thrown up lots of questions around what church life could and should look like. A significant part of the conversation is around children’s work and this new research helps us take stock of where we are at and gives us clear insights into how we work with families rather than just children.
‘My prayer is that this research helps us have robust conversations about how we best support parents in nurturing faith.’
The survey was carried out online in February 2022. Participants including 175 church leaders from twelve denominations from across the UK and 209 parents of children aged 0-16.
