Study: Church is Good for Children

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP 7.06.07) - A new study says young children of churchgoing parents fare better behaviorally, emotionally, and cognitively than dochildren of parents who never attend church. In fact, the more often the parents attend, the better off the kids are.

The study by sociologist John P. Bartkowski and a team of researchers at Mississippi State University examined data from the nationwide EarlyChildhood Longitudinal Study, which evaluated first-graders by interviewing parents and teachers. In the data Bartkowski used, some9,500 parents and 8,800 teachers were interviewed. The ECLS study was sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education's National Center forEducation Statistics.

Examining the ECLS data, Bartkowski and his team concluded it is "quite clear" that religious attendance impacts children positively. Hisresearch -- which claims to be a "first of its kind" study on the subject using "nationally representative data" -- will be published inthe journal Social Science Research.

"It's no surprise that generally being around church, and God-type discussions, and even the general warm fuzzies that just 'being in church' can give off, is good for kids," says Aaron Reynolds, author of The Fabulous Reinvention of Sunday School. "It makes sense. So imagine the absolute transformation that's possible when we push past generalities and present the message of the Bible to kids in relevant, challenging, unforgettable ways. The potential influence is staggering."

"[R]eligion does seem to be good for young children," the study says. "The religious attendance of parents and a cohesive religiousenvironment in the home yields significant benefits for children's behavioral, emotional, and cognitive development, and such outcomes aremost pronounced when both partners attend services frequently."

"Religion" in the study includes all religions -- the ECLS survey did not ask specific faith questions -- so there is no way of knowing if there are differences among, say, Baptist, Catholic or Jewish families.

But Bartkowski's study did determine that while church attendance is good for children, parental debate over religion is not. In fact, the study finds that when parents argue about religion, it can "significantly undermine" a young child's development.

"Parents are ultimately the spiritual leaders of kids, not the church. They've got to be unified in presenting God to kids, and it starts with simply getting kids to the church doors consistently each week," says Reynolds. "From there, the church can equip those parents to lead their kids in potentially spiritually-transformational conversations at home. The question is...are we doing that, as the church? Are we equipping parents to be spiritual giants to their kids, or just being thankful that they showed up on Sunday?"The study shows that when parents are in agreement, it can be very beneficial. The study also says parent-child discussions about religion "often yield positive affects on child development."

Regularity in attendance can make a difference, too. "In many of the developmental domains featured here, the children who are doing the best are in households where both parents attend worship services frequently," the researchers write.

The frequency of attendance may make a difference, the study says, because it gives other adults -- for example, in Sunday School settings -- the opportunity to "reinforce parental values" taught at home. (Source: Baptist Press, www.sbcbaptistpress.org)