What is the place of families in church post-Covid?

New survey reveals 40 per cent of UK churches have reduced engagement with families post-lockdown – and explores how they can adapt their ministry 

The new research report by Liverpool Hope University and the National Institute for Christian Research in partnership with five Christian organisations is called ‘What is the place of the families in church post-Covid?’ It investigates how churches are connecting with Christian families in the post lockdown era.

It found a disconnect between the way that church leaders and families view the church’s support of faith in families, both during the pandemic and moving forward. Nevertheless, it suggested three main areas for churches to consider moving forward. 
 
The key findings from the research include:
 

• 89 per cent of parents said that faith at home had stayed the same or increased since pre-pandemic (despite the fact that in many cases their attendance/engagement with church had reduced).
• Several parents acknowledged that they had lost the habit of going to church during the pandemic and spoke of a struggle to reintegrate into church as a family. All of the parents interviewed explained that it had been difficult returning to church after the lockdowns.
• When asked about their family’s engagement with the local church in the post lockdown era, 44 per cent reported that it had remained the same, with 40 per cent saying that it had reduced, and 16 per cent stating that their engagement had increased.
• 99 per cent of parents want the church to work in partnership with families to nurture children’s faith together. 97 per cent of church leaders also want to work in partnership.
• During the pandemic, the main connection between families and their local churches was through resource provision (including online services and children’s groups, printable worksheets and activity suggestions for parents, and pre-recorded videos); however, the overwhelming response from parents is that they do not want to be ‘resourced’ by the church but rather they desire a connection and partnership with the church, rooted in relationships.
• Many of the church leaders (56 per cent) reported that in the post lockdown season, they felt it was most important to develop social activities, to bring people together, as they expressed that this aspect of church life had been sorely missed during the pandemic
• 49 per cent of church leaders spoke about the need for parents’ ethos / way of relating to family faith to change, while many parents said that churches needed to adapt and improve their welcome for families.
• While three quarters of church leaders felt that relationships amongst the church had been good support for church families, less than half of the families agreed, with over a third of parents stating that the local church had not supported their faith at home.

 
‘The research has revealed that families’ faith at home tended to improve during the pandemic, whilst their engagement with church since has reduced,’ the report concluded.
 
‘However, there is a significant disconnect between the perceptions of church leaders and parents about what is needed going forward.
 
‘It is clear that churches must now consider how to respond to this change in families’ ethos and practices.
 
‘It is key to meet families where they are and support those spiritual connections which occur at home rather than simply seeking to coax them back into church attendance.’


The report gave three main recommendations:
 

• Church leaders could consider how they can listen to and learn from families, and then adapt the ethos of the church to better accommodate and partner with parents to support them in discipling their children’s faith. 
• Evaluate the aims of various church activities, for example is the ultimate aim to boost Sunday attendance or to ensure children’s faith is nurtured and encouraged? It seems that families desire support with the latter but are less committed to regular church attendance - so it will be good to explore together new ways of focussing this support.
• Consider the balance of time spent generating resources, activities and services versus more informal and relational support structures, which seem to be more beneficial. Within this, explore opportunities for intergenerational ministry because this seems to be greatly valued by many families.

The research was sponsored by Share Jesus International, Hope Together, Evangelical Alliance, Care for the Family and Parenting for Faith.

Andy Frost, Director of Share Jesus International, 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.’
 
‘This new research enables us to finally put statistics to the experiences that we shared over the pandemic,’ said Rachel Turner, Parenting for Faith Pioneer. ‘Some of its conclusions are confirmation of what we already 'knew', but it also provides some eyebrow raising surprises. 
 
‘It makes for a thoughtful and provoking read that demands action.’
 
Lucy Moore, Head of the Growing Faith Foundation at the Church of England described the report as ‘a timely and challenging new piece of research to help church leaders step humbly but boldly into a new paradigm for supporting families.’
 
Ed Drew, Director of Faith in Kids said, ‘Let us hear the plea for authentic relationships in our churches so that families are supported in raising the next generation. 
 
‘I am so encouraged to hear the voices of parents who are grasping their spiritual role and are eager to raise their children as flourishing Christians.’
 
The research was based on an online survey of 175 church leaders and 209 parents of children aged 0-16 in February 2022, followed by in-depth interviews with 36 children aged 7-11 years old and 18 Christian parents between April and June 2022. The participants represented 12 different denominations and were based in various locations around the UK.
 
You can read the full report here.

A webinar launching the report can be accessed here.