Who says grandparents matter?

Abstract

Data from the Church Life Profile of 2001 confirm a high proportion of grandparents among churchgoers and demonstrate a link between the religiosity of grandparents and that of their grandchildren. This article presents empirical evidence to show that the importance of this link is acknowledged by rural clergy and taken into account when determining whether to baptise the children of parents who cannot themselves profess the Christian faith.

Keywords:

• grandparents
• religiosity
• infant baptism
• rural clergy