Parents, don’t ignore spiritual practices as you raise your child. Research shows they’ll benefit from them.
A new LifeWay Research study commissioned by LifeWay Kids surveyed 2,000 Protestant and non-denominational churchgoers who attend church at least once a month and have adult children ages 18 to 30.
The research indicated that children who remained faithful as young adults grew up in homes where certain practices were present.
The biggest factor was Bible reading. Children who regularly read the Bible while they were growing up were more likely to have a vibrant spiritual life once they became adults.
Two more factors follow close behind: prayer and service in church. The practice of prayer did not specify whether it was private or corporate, before meals or before bedtime, or in the morning. But prayer was present.
The church-related factor is about service, not just attendance. It wasn’t just that parents took their kids to church but that the children were included and integrated into the church through the avenue of service. The habit of serving others in the church and community likely formed these young adults in a way that kept them from identifying merely as a churchgoing “consumer,” but instead as a contributor to the building up of God’s people.
One surprising finding of those who remained spiritually faithful: listening primarily to Christian music. It reveals the truth behind Augustine’s ancient observation that we sing the truth into our hearts.