Throw momma out of the church

Okay, throwing momma out of church maybe a bit extreme, but the data supports a diminished role for moms.  

Practice of Parents	Practice of Parents	Practice of the children	Practice of the children	Practice of the children	Practice of the children
FATHER	MOTHER	REGULAR	IRREGULAR	NON-PRACTISING	TOTAL
Regular	Regular	32.8	41.4	25.8	100.0
Regular	Irregular	37.7	37.6	24.7	100.0
Regular	Non-Practising	44.2	22.4	33.4	100.0
Irregular	Regular	3.4	58.6	38.0	100.0
Irregular	Irregular	7.8	60.8	31.4	100.0
Irregular	Non-Practising	25.4	22.8	51.8	100.0
Non-Practising	Regular	1.5	37.4	61.1	100.0
Non-Practising	Irregular	2.3	37.8	59.9	100.0
Non-Practising	Non-Practising	4.6	14.7	80.7	100.0

From Werner Haug; Philippe Wanner (January 2000). "IV. The demographic characteristics of linguistic and religious groups in Switzerland". The Demographic Characteristics of National Minorities in Certain European States. Population Studies No. 31. Volume 2. Germany: Council of Europe. p. 154. ISBN 978-92-871-4159-0. 

This data is based on European families so there may be variables that are somewhat different in the American church.  As expected the role of the father is the key factor is a child’s future faith practice.  However, there is critical observation that must not be missed.  In each category when the mother’s practice is equal to or greater than the father’s practice, the future participation on the part of the children actually declines.  Surprisingly while we might expect that the greatest likelihood for children’s future participation would occur with both parents being active that is not the case.  The greatest participation of children came when the Father was regular and the mother was non-practicing.

While this study did not focus on leadership in the home here is my conjecture.  In cases where the father attends regularly but the mother is the one who is providing the impetus for spiritual formation the faith development of the children will be diminished. It is NOT enough for a father to attend service HE MUST BE THE LEADER IN THE HOME.  This study also did not take into account the gender of the child.  It would be interesting to do a study on the participation of the children based on their gender.

If you are preaching on the role of “Fathers” in the spiritual development of their children this study will provide you plenty to think about and work with for your sermon.  If you look around your sanctuary and see a lot of moms and few dads you have a couple of choices.  First you may begin developing a strategy to help the men in your congregation develop into the strong spiritual leaders in the home.  Second you can form an advance committee to over see the closure of your church.