Study Results Packaged Into New Resource Titled 'What Most Parents Aren't Telling You'

Three-Year-Long Study Shows Mental Health Resources a Top Priority

Data Shows Church Ranked as "Least Helpful" Parenting Resource

NEWS PROVIDED BY
EPIC
May 5, 2022

ATLANTA, May 5, 2022 /Christian Newswire/ -- The pandemic changed everything: church attendance and participation included. As churches navigate new realities where fewer families participate consistently, many leaders are asking questions: How do we implement a church plus home strategy if families aren't coming? What are parents not telling us that we need to know?

Orange and Parent Cue, a service for ministry leaders, teamed up with Arbor Research to gauge how today's parents feel about the faith and future of young people in the church. Releasing today, the new book What Most Parents Aren't Telling You: Four Insights About Parents that Should Radically Impact Your Ministry reveals eye-opening research, says one of the resource's authors, Kristen Ivy. "What we have learned from the findings so far both confirms and challenges a number of beliefs. In many ways, it also raises questions," Ivy shares.

One of the questions raised is in the area of mental health. Over 96 percent of parents surveyed want more mental health resources for their kids. What's perhaps even more alarming is that Christian parents and secular parents exhibited the approximate same level of need for mental health resources, leaving the conclusion to be drawn that the Church needs to drastically improve in meeting this emergent need.

Another interesting finding is the gap between those who value faith for their kids and those who consistently attend church programming. Ivy writes, "The new questions seem to be: How does parenting impact church attendance today? Are some Christian parents reevaluating the value of church attendance for their kids' faith? And, if so, how might this impact the future of childrens' and youth ministries?"

Also of paramount concern is the finding that church ranks as the "least helpful" resource.

Parents in the general population rank the Internet, books, community centers, counselors, extended family, sports teams, and ten other resources as more helpful than their local churches.

Reggie Joiner, CEO & Founder of Orange, believes that many kids and teenagers in this generation will decide how they see the Church when they see how the church supports their parent.

"What if we allow the findings of this research to inform the way we greet every parent, communicate to every parent, encourage every parent, and resource every parent? We just might find that the best thing we can do for a kid's faith is to learn how to love their parent well," said Joiner. "Truly, what happens at home is more important than what happens at church, and no one has more potential to influence a kid than a parent."

Inside this study readers will discover insights about parents both inside and outside the Church, as well as remarkable distinctions that make families unique, complex, fascinating, and meaningful. The data shows that the greatest opportunity for the future Church may be found in reimagining how we engage the family, and that the two combined influences of church and home together can make a far greater impact than each of them individually.

Ivy hopes that something altogether new springs forth as a result of this exhaustive survey. "Now is not the season for the Church to return to what was. Now is the season to reimagine what the Church will be. We hope this project can fuel our collective imagination."

Kristen Ivy, President and Executive Director at Orange, is available for interviews now to share about this important study and the lasting impacts it will have on the Church.

Orange creates resources, curriculum, and experiences that promote the alignment of the church and the home. The name Orange is based on the idea that two combined influences make a greater impact than just two influences. When the light of the church (yellow) combines with the heart of the home (red), you get a stronger, more vibrant impact in the life of a kid (orange). Orange also believes that when the church engages every parent and caregiver at home, they help support the primary faith influence in a kid's life. Orange empowers churches to do this better through utilizing Parent Cue as a resource that can support their parents at church and at home. Learn more about Orange at ThinkOrange.com.

Parent Cue strives to share a message of hope for every parent, grandparent, guardian, and caregiver who wants to raise their kids to have a positive future. With resources for every parent, grandparent, or caregiver, Parent Cue provides parents at every phase with professional articles, books, courses, and media. Parent Cue's goal is simply to cue you with what you need when you need it, so you can be the parent you want to be. Parent Cue also believes the church has the greatest potential to be a light in communities everywhere. Often one of the greatest gifts any family can receive is personal support for a child that comes from someone outside of the family unit. Many churches offer Parent Cue resources to the parents and guardians in their community as a service and support for their families. Discover more resources for Parents at ParentCue.org or download the free Parent Cue app, available for Android and iOS.

SOURCE EPIC

CONTACT: Marissa Hays, [email protected]