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News Item December 1, 2009 |
What is the connection between a child's involvement in church and adult religious commitment? A recent study conducted by the Barna Group provides some insight into this question. The survey asked adults to think back on their upbringing and to describe the frequency of their involvement in Sunday school or religious training. The Barna staff then compared the reported behaviors with the respondents' current church activities and faith.
One remarkable finding was the breadth of the respondents exposure to spiritual training. More than eight out of every 10 adults remembered consistently attending Sunday school or some other religious training before the age of 12. The numbers are slightly lower for involvement as teenagers, but still relatively high (about 70%), and half reported attending at least once per week. Among the most active as children were Catholics (86%), Midwesterners (76%), college graduates (75%), women (73%), political conservatives (73%), and those aged 65+ (73%). And that pattern remained for involvement as teenagers, although the percentages were somewhat lower. To see if that involvement impacted later involvement, the study examined four elements of adult religious commitment: attending church, having an active faith (defined as reading the Bible, praying, and attending church in the last week), being unchurched, and switching faiths from that of childhood. Not surprisingly, those who attended church activities as children or teens were more likely to have an active faith. These respondents were also less likely to be unchurched now and to have changed faiths. David Kinnaman, president of the Barna Group, commented that its “important to clarify what this research does and does not indicate. First, correlation does not imply causation. This means that the research does not prove that spiritual activity as a young person causes spiritual engagement as an adult.” He went on to explain that other aspects of the research confirmed the pattern that many students who are active in life disengage from their faith as they get older. But it does at least indicate that a habit of involvement can impact patterns of behavior in adulthood. 341 Words To view more 'News Itmes' Articles please 'Log In' and visit the 'Achives' page. |
