Communio's Pastors Guide

Supporting Parents in Sharing the Gospel with Their Children

​Open conversations about faith between church-going parents and children appear to be a powerful factor in passing on the Gospel. A new working paper by a Harvard Research team and Communio sought to illuminate how faith moves across generations.

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Harvard Research Reveals the #1 Way Parents Pass on Faith to Their Kids

What's the most impactful thing a church-going parent can do to pass on their faith? According to a Harvard research study done in partnership with Communio, the answer is surprisingly simple — open conversations about faith at home. In this video, discover what the data reveals and how your church can equip parents to disciple their children through everyday conversations that change everything.

What simple, regular action can a church-going parent take to have a big impact on their child maintaining an active faith into adulthood?

According to a new working paper by Harvard researchers, created in partnership with Communio, the answer may be simple—but is often missed: open conversations about Christian faith between parent and child.

This study analyzed responses from more than 16,000 Catholic and Protestant Sunday attendees across the U.S., spanning three generations. It revealed a powerful insight:

“An open conversation with your child about their Christian faith may be the most impactful action church going parents can regularly take to ensure their children reach adulthood with an active faith.”

Key Findings

  • Daily Conversations

    Adults who had daily conversations about faith with a parent growing up had 7.5 times the odds of doing the same thing with their own children.

  • Weekly Conversations

    Adults who reported having weekly faith conversations in childhood had more than 2.5 times the odds of having these same conversations with their own kids.

  • Faith-Filled Conversations

    For those who attend church regularly today, a warm relationship with parents and childhood church attendance were not a silver bullet— faith-filled conversations made a substantial difference.

Discover how your church can equip parents to disciple their children at home through simple but life-changing conversations.