Rethinking the place of the family in the post-Covid church in the UK: an exploration of families’ engagement with church during and after Covid

Abstract

ABSTRACT The family's role in nurturing children's faith became critical during the Covid-19 pandemic. The ways that churches addressed the needs of these families during the pandemic revealed much about church leaders’ understanding of the place of the family in Church. This article looks at faith nurture in the family and role of the church in this task. Robust connections between church and family which are essential for the holistic nurturing of child’s faith were disrupted by Covid-19 restrictions. The research involved an online survey of 175 church leaders and 209 parents, with the addition of focus group interviews of 36 children and 18 parents in the aftermath of this disruption. The findings provide insights into church leaders, parents and children’s family ministry experience, and their hopes for future engagement. Data analysis revealed the severity of the disruption and a sense of disconnection between families and Church. The discussion argues this has had a lasting impact on family church relationships and considers parents’ hopes for a welcoming listening church community. In conclusion, we argue that there is an opportunity to learn from the pandemic experience, listen to parents and children and re-imagine the family's place in Church.