Barna’s Gen Z research demonstrates that the world in which this next generation is coming of age is one that stands apart from that of their parents and grandparents. The post-truth world they inhabit no longer shares the same moral principles or societal values, leading to a more relativistic worldview among teens and a growing religious apathy. Christianity today has less influence on Gen Z than on any previous generation. Through Barna’s other research, we see that parents—especially engaged Christian parents—are eager for their children to develop a lasting faith, yet many lack clarity on how to disciple their children well in a decidedly post-Christian context. Building on these findings, Barna, in partnership with Cardus, a faith-based think tank, recently interviewed 650 church leaders (Protestant and Catholic) about the factors influencing spiritual formation and development. We found that although they agree that spiritual formation begins in the home and continues in the church, the perceived influence of schools is often either disproportionate or unaccounted for.  The study points to a possible disconnect among church, home and school relationships, as well as the need for new conversations and partnerships for addressing spiritual formation in the current context.

Read morefrom Ray Pennings, Cardus executive vice president, about this research partnership.

Family and Church Seen as Responsible for Spiritual Formation Church leaders from all stripes are in agreement when it comes to where the responsibility lies for a child’s spiritual formation and development. They universally agree it should start with parents (99% of Protestant pastors, along with 96% of Catholic priests, ranked parents #1), followed by the Church (92% of Protestant leaders ranked it #2, and 77% of Catholic leaders). Seven in 10 Protestant pastors (70%) ranked the Christian community third, and a similar proportion (68%) ranks schools fourth in the chain of responsibility. Catholic priests rank the Church’s responsibility slightly lower than do Protestant leaders and place greater responsibility with schools. Catholic and Protestant clergy alike agree that government and society in general bear the least responsibility for children’s spiritual formation.