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

Francis, L.J., Lankshear, D.W., Eccles, E.L. and McKenna, U. (2019) Sustaining churchgoing young Anglicans in England and Wales: assessing influence of the home. Journal of Beliefs and Values, 41 (1). pp. 34-50. ISSN 1361-7672

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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.

Item Type: Article
Additional Information: © 2019 Taylor and Francis. This is an author-produced version of a paper subsequently published in the Journal of Beliefs and Values. Uploaded in accordance with the publisher's self-archiving policy.
Keywords: Anglican, churchgoing, schools, churches, parents
Depositing User: Emma Eccles
Date Deposited: 01 Jul 2019 08:07
Last Modified: 05 Jan 2021 11:06
URI: https://bgro.repository.guildhe.ac.uk/id/eprint/584

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