Becoming parents is often cited as a time in life when people with no church connection look for a congregation with which to become involved, but a Barna Group study suggests that might not be as common as is often thought.

Half the parents interviewed recently by the organization said that having children did not influence their connection to a church, while 4% of parents said that the new life stage actually decreased their involvement with a church-most commonly for single and never married parents.

About one-sixth of parents (17%) said that having a child helped them reconnect with church after a long period of not attending. Another one-fifth (20%) said they were already active, but became more involved after having children.

Parenthood rarely sparks brand-new experiences of faith for people, it seems. Only one out of every 20 parents (5%) said that having children helped them become active in a church for the first time.

Age-wise, younger parents (those under 35) were more likely than average to say parenthood had helped them reconnect to church. In contrast, parents older than 35 were least likely to indicate that their church life had been influenced by the arrival of children.

"Many religious workers assume that parenthood motivates people to return to their spiritual traditions and to church attendance," said Barna Group President David Kinnaman. "This perspective is especially common when it comes to justifying the frequent disengagement among young adults. Sometimes faith leaders go so far as to simply wait for parenthood to occur, when they figure the ‘real work' of ministry can begin."

But his group's study calls that strategy into question, he said. "While parenthood can reset people's priorities in life, having children is not an automatic faith-starter for most adults. It's more complicated than that. Family background and their personal faith history impact their behavior."

Source: The Barna Group.

-To read the full report, go to: http://www.barna.org/family-kids-articles/391-does-having-children-make-parents-more-active-churchgoers.

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