Religious affiliation and participation in the United States have declined steadily over the past several decades. Fewer Americans now attend worship services regularly, identify with a faith tradition, or describe religion as central to their daily lives. This shift is especially pronounced among younger cohorts, who are more likely than previous generations to report no religious affiliation and less likely to engage in institutional religious practices. While belief has not disappeared, it has become more individualized and less connected to church life. As a result, many religious communities now face a sustained pattern of generational decline rather than temporary fluctuation, raising concerns for churches and church members alike about the long-term vitality of their congregation.
Research consistently shows that families are the single most important factor in whether children adopt and maintain faith into adulthood. Congregational programs, clergy leadership, and peer networks matter as well, but they are most effective when reinforced within the home. Studies demonstrate that parental modeling, shared faith practices, and the quality of parent–child relationships are among the strongest predictors of adult religiosity. When faith is embedded in everyday routines through conversation, ritual, and visible commitment, children are more likely to internalize it as part of their enduring identity. Taken together, this body of evidence underscores the need for analysis of how family processes operate in practice and which specific parental behaviors most effectively foster durable Christian commitment.
In our new report for Communio and the Institute for Family Studies, Passing the Torch: How Faith Moves Across Generations, we use data on American adults ages 25+ who were raised in a Christian faith to examine how parents most effectively transmit faith to their children.
Consistent with past research, we show that:
1. Religious practice in childhood is highly predictive of religious practice in adulthood.
2. Higher parent–child relationship quality in childhood is associated with stronger retention of religious belief and practice in adulthood.
3. Higher parental marital quality is associated with greater faith transmission.
4. Congregational involvement on the part of both parents and adolescents is linked to higher levels of faith commitment when children reach adulthood.
Intergenerational Faith Formation
Our findings suggest that if faith transmission from parents to children is to remain viable, efforts must focus on equipping both families and churches with practical tools and guidance for intergenerational faith formation. This includes helping parents integrate faith into everyday family life, providing robust faith communities and supports, promoting loving and stable family relationships in the household, and more. By centering families and supporting them intentionally, church communities can better address the decline of Christianity and sustain faith across generations.
We make the following recommendations for parents and pastors, which we elaborate on more fully in the report:
Recommendations for Parents
1) Be your children’s role model for faith
2) Prioritize strong marriages and parent-child relationships
3) Make faith formation a joint effort
4) Build religion into everyday family life
5) Make faith a regular topic of family conversation
Recommendations for Pastors
1) Guide parents—not just children—as part of religious education
2) Support strong marriages and coparenting relationships
3) Actively engage fathers
4) Create space for community
5) Invest in youth ministry
Read or download the full report by clicking here: Passing the Torch: How Faith Moves Across Generations.
Jesse Smith, Ph.D., is an assistant professor at the Salmon P. Chase Center for Civics, Culture, and Society at The Ohio State University.
Jane Lankes Smith, Ph.D. is a research scientist at the Institute for Population Research at The Ohio State University.
*Photo credit: Shutterstock
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by Jesse Smith (@jessesmithsoc) and Jane Lankes Smith
Religious affiliation and participation in the United States have declined steadily over the past several decades. Fewer Americans now attend worship services regularly, identify with a faith tradition, or describe religion as central to their daily lives. This shift is especially pronounced among younger cohorts, who are more likely than previous generations to report no religious affiliation and less likely to engage in institutional religious practices. While belief has not disappeared, it has become more individualized and less connected to church life. As a result, many religious communities now face a sustained pattern of generational decline rather than temporary fluctuation, raising concerns for churches and church members alike about the long-term vitality of their congregation.
Research consistently shows that families are the single most important factor in whether children adopt and maintain faith into adulthood. Congregational programs, clergy leadership, and peer networks matter as well, but they are most effective when reinforced within the home. Studies demonstrate that parental modeling, shared faith practices, and the quality of parent–child relationships are among the strongest predictors of adult religiosity. When faith is embedded in everyday routines through conversation, ritual, and visible commitment, children are more likely to internalize it as part of their enduring identity. Taken together, this body of evidence underscores the need for analysis of how family processes operate in practice and which specific parental behaviors most effectively foster durable Christian commitment.
In our new report for Communio and the Institute for Family Studies, Passing the Torch: How Faith Moves Across Generations, we use data on American adults ages 25+ who were raised in a Christian faith to examine how parents most effectively transmit faith to their children.
Consistent with past research, we show that:
1. Religious practice in childhood is highly predictive of religious practice in adulthood.
2. Higher parent–child relationship quality in childhood is associated with stronger retention of religious belief and practice in adulthood.
3. Higher parental marital quality is associated with greater faith transmission.
4. Congregational involvement on the part of both parents and adolescents is linked to higher levels of faith commitment when children reach adulthood.
Intergenerational Faith Formation
Our findings suggest that if faith transmission from parents to children is to remain viable, efforts must focus on equipping both families and churches with practical tools and guidance for intergenerational faith formation. This includes helping parents integrate faith into everyday family life, providing robust faith communities and supports, promoting loving and stable family relationships in the household, and more. By centering families and supporting them intentionally, church communities can better address the decline of Christianity and sustain faith across generations.
We make the following recommendations for parents and pastors, which we elaborate on more fully in the report:
Recommendations for Parents
1) Be your children’s role model for faith
2) Prioritize strong marriages and parent-child relationships
3) Make faith formation a joint effort
4) Build religion into everyday family life
5) Make faith a regular topic of family conversation
Recommendations for Pastors
1) Guide parents—not just children—as part of religious education
2) Support strong marriages and coparenting relationships
3) Actively engage fathers
4) Create space for community
5) Invest in youth ministry
Read or download the full report by clicking here: Passing the Torch: How Faith Moves Across Generations.
Jesse Smith, Ph.D., is an assistant professor at the Salmon P. Chase Center for Civics, Culture, and Society at The Ohio State University.
Jane Lankes Smith, Ph.D. is a research scientist at the Institute for Population Research at The Ohio State University.
*Photo credit: Shutterstock
