As a Christian educator I read a lot of research where they tried to discover who or what most impacted a child’s decisions and future. Every survey, every study came to the same conclusion.
Despite the fact that most kids spend more time in school and with friends than with their parents, it was still the parents that had the greatest influence upon their children.
Another study looked at four types of families. Based on which type of family you have they gave the odds that your child would catch your faith and follow the Lord. Which of these best describes your family?
Family 1
Both parents have a living, active faith that impacts their daily lives and decisions. Additionally they are also active in the church and its activities. In these families there was a 93% chance the children would also follow the Lord. A viral faith is highly contagious.
Family 2
One parent has a living faith that impacts their daily lives and decisions and is active in the church and its activities. Even with all the extra challenges and struggles a single parent faces these researches found there was still a very high chance the children would follow the Lord – 73%. One viral parent can spread the faith.
Family 3
Both parents are believers who attend church but aren’t actively involved. The chances that these children would follow in their parents’ faith plummeted to only 53%. Blah faith does not spread.
Family 4
Both parents are passive Christians, they attend church sporadically but their faith does not guide their daily life or decisions. These kids are only 6% likely to continue in the faith.
This tells us an active and living faith is highly contagious. Your kids will almost surely get infected by it and catch it – even if only one parent lives it. The less influence your faith has on your life the less likely it is to be passed on to your kids.
What’s the best way to make sure our kids become passionate followers of Jesus Christ?
Dive in head first and all the way, living for Him, serving Him, serving His people and serving with His people – get active in a church that also has a living and active faith – and research says the ripple effect of you diving in will wash your kids into the flow also.
And there is good evidence that your in-FLU-ence can go viral and spread for generations.
His grandmother had a faith that was alive and contagious. She passed it on to her daughter. This daughter then passed the same living, viral faith on to her son. This son became a disciple of a great missionary who wrote:
I am reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also.
2 Timothy 1:5
1 Comment
Interesting and telling stats!