(ChurchLeaders) Fewer couples are turning to the church today and that’s a pressing concern for church leaders. An in-depth study performed by the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) offers a statistical glimpse into current trends of religion in America. Focusing on the study’s findings about families and marriage, families being the foundation of any society, provides key data for answering the question of what these trends may mean for the church for years to come.
Secular Couples Experience Faith Decline at Home
According to the AEI study, 22 percent of young adults in America report a home life without the influence of any formal religion, compared with only three percent of senior Americans. Alongside the rise in “unaffiliated” homes are homes with parents of differing religious backgrounds. One in five Americans are raised in interfaith home environments and it is becoming more common. The study results also show that American children whose parents have differing faiths are significantly less likely to be active in faith during their formative years.