Researchers
from Switzerland examined whether parents’ religious habits were
transmitted to their offspring.
They
studied different variables, but one critical factor towered above
the rest:
the
practices of the father determine whether children grow up attending
church or not.
And
the results were somewhat shocking: the habits of the mother had
almost no influence over their kids’ future devotion.
Consider
these findings:
....When
Mom goes to church regularly but Dad goes infrequently,
just
3 percent of their kids go on to become regular churchgoers.
....When
Mom is regular but Dad never attends, just 2 percent become regular
attendees.
Now,
let’s flip the scenario, what if Dad is faithful?
When
both Mom and Dad attend church regularly, 33 percent of kids grow up
to attend regularly.
When
Dad is regular but Mom only goes once in a while, the figure jumps to
38 percent.
Here’s
the real bombshell: when Dad is faithful but Mom never attends,
44
percent of the kids end up as regular church attendees!
Bottom
line: in spiritual matters, kids take their cues from Dad.
If
daddy doesn’t go to church, chances are very slim that his children
will become regular worshippers.
If
the kids see religion as "Mom’s thing" they are more
likely to become disenchanted.
But
if Dad leads by example, children are twenty-two times more likely to
become lifelong churchgoers
Are
there exceptions, everyone knows there are always exceptions to every
rule.
I
stand here today as an exception, one of the 2 Percent group. I also
credit a praying mother, who stood on and received the promise of her
household, from God! It didn't happen in her lifetime, but never the
less happened, and God kept His Word!
It's
no wonder why churches all over the globe are closing their doors,
and are dropping in attendance.
Dads
aren't going, so why should the children. Fathers are supposed to be
the spiritual leaders of their households. If we're ever going to see
revival in our church's, it's going to have to first start in our
homes!
God
has a plan for each one of our lives and He constantly gives us,
every opportunity to walk in the plans that He has for us!
