Sustaining churchgoing young Anglicans in England and Wales: Assessing influence of the home

ABSTRACT

Responding to the problem facing the Church of England, as identified by the Church Growth Research Programme, regarding sustaining churchgoing young Anglicans, and also responding to the Renewal and Reform agenda to address this problem, the present study discusses the roles of three agencies in delivering effective Christian education and Christian formation: local churches, local schools, and the home. Building on a fruitful stream of research within Australia and the UK, the present study drew on two samples of young Anglicans: 2,019 9- to 11-year-old students attending church primary schools in Wales, and 2,323 13- to 15-year-old students attending church secondary schools mainly in England. The data demonstrated that young Anglicans who practised their Anglican identity by attending church did so primarily because their parents were Anglican churchgoers. Moreover, young Anglican churchgoers were most likely to keep going to church if their churchgoing parents (especially mother) talked with them about their faith. The implications from these findings, for an Anglican Church strategy for ministry among children and young people, is that alongside resourcing local churches and promoting deeply Christian schools, it may also be wise for the Church to invest in the education and formation of churchgoing Anglican parents.

KEYWORDS:

• Anglican
• churchgoing
• schools
• churches
• parents

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Leslie J. Francis

Leslie J. Francis is Professor of Religions and Education and Director of the Warwick Religions and Education Research Unit at the University of Warwick, England, and Visiting Professor at York St John University, England.

David W. Lankshear

David W. Lankshear is Research Fellow within the Warwick Religions and Education Research Unit at the University of Warwick, Coventry, England, and Visiting Professor at Glyndŵr University, Wales.

Emma L. Eccles

Emma L. Eccles is Research Associate at Bishop Grosseteste University, England, and within the St Mary’s Centre, Wales.

Ursula McKenna

Ursula McKenna is Research Fellow within the Warwick Religions and Education Research Unit at the University of Warwick, England.