Most Christian Parents Choose Church Based on Children’s Programs, Barna Finds

Nearly six in 10 churchgoing Christian parents say their congregation’s children’s programming was the primary reason they chose their current church, according to a new Barna study.

“[Children] carry big weight when it comes to family decisions about where to worship,” a Barna analysis of the study said. “This suggests that, for churches to attract and retain strong Christian households, children’s programming must be a key part of holistic family ministry.”

The study was based on a sample of 508 Christian parents who attend church at least once a month and “strongly agree” with four specific tenets of Christianity. (See below for more information.) Barna labels this segment “highly engaged” Christians. The parents in the survey have at least one child ages 6 to 12. 

Fifty-eight percent of highly engaged Christians say children’s programming is the “primary reason” for their church choice. (Twenty-two percent strongly agree with the statement, and 36 percent somewhat agree.) 

Meanwhile, the study found that 64 percent of highly engaged Christians who are married attend church every week, compared to 51 percent of single parents who do so.

“For some, the weeklong work and parenting demands of a typical single parent means less time and energy even for a family activity that’s very important to them, such as attending church,” the analysis said….