Family Snapshot

More than two-thirds of Christian parents say youth and children’s programs are very important to their church experience, but less than half are satisfied with those programs. Those are the findings of a survey by our sister publication Christian Parenting Today. In fact, out of five areas surveyed, parents were least likely to be satisfied by the teen ministry. Parents were more pleased with the preaching and music, and only 14% said they are not satisfied with their church overall.

What parents are looking for: The survey asked, “Is this program extremely important to you?” and “Are you very satisfied?” Here are the responses:

Children’s programs—93% important, 45% satisfied.
Sunday school—69% important, 39% satisfied
Youth programs—69% important, 34% satisfied
Preaching—75% important, 58% satisfied
Music—51% important, 48% satisfied

The family altar: The survey found Christian parents are more likely to regulate their their kids’ media exposure than to encourage development of their devotional life. Nine in ten parents say they must approve the TV shows their children watch; four in ten families report having devotions together once per week or more, and 52% say they rarely, if ever, have family devotions.

What you’re up against: The typical Christian family spent seven hours per week in organized activities outside the home, not including work and school. Of the families surveyed, 93% attend church each week; 45% are involved in lessons such as music, dance, and karate; 38% participate in sports programs. Far fewer families are active in community service groups (18%) or Scouts (15%).

Even with all this activity, Christian families still have dinner together five or six nights per week, according to the survey, and nine in ten pray before dinner. Most families turn off the TV (64%) and wait until everyone is present before eating (59%).

—with reporting by John C. LaRue, Jr.

Islam is growing fast in U.S.The number of mosques increased 42% in the past decade, to at least 1,200. That surpasses growth of new churches among evangelicals (12%) and mainline Protestants and Catholics (2%). Of the mosques surveyed by Hartford Seminary, 60% reported a membership increase of at least 10%, bettering Mormons (48%) and evangelicals (39%).—RNS and Baptist Standard (Jan. 2001)
Church habits set early:Of adults who attended church as a youth, 61% are still regular attenders. They are two times more likely to take their own kids to church than adults who did not attend regularly as kids (63% to 33%). Those young church goers are also more likely to be active in ministry and Bible study for the rest of their lives.—from Barna Research Group
Family night at home:Wednesday is least likely to rank as “family night” among all Americans. Only 4% reserve that evening. Quality-time night varies by region: Friday for Southerners (32%), Saturday for Midwesterners (26%), and Sunday for families in the West (15%) and Northeast (22%).—American Demographics (Oct. 2001)