A new Communio study is highlighting the important role family plays in developing a child’s faith. The study began as a response to a Pew Research Center study that found that 28% of U.S. adults were religiously unaffiliated. Communio surveyed more than 16,000 church-going adults on family habits while growing up. The study, presented in a guide to assist pastors in reaching out to families, noted that research has shown that a better relationship with one’s parents coupled with regular church attendance at age 12 was linked to a higher likelihood of attending church as an adult.

Amongst those who reported weekly faith conversations with their parents, church-going adults demonstrated a higher ability in forgiving those who had hurt them, as well as a greater sense of belonging in their church community. The study also found that those adults who had weekly conversations with their parents were also 2.5 times more likely to have faith conversations with their own children. There was an even higher incidence amongst those who reported daily faith conversations, with these adults being 7.5 times more likely to have faith conversations with their children than those who’d had less frequent conversations with their parents growing up.

Fathers played a particularly important role in the faith formation of their children. Those who attended a church service with their dad at least weekly or more frequently were much more likely to attend church regularly as adults and reported higher ability to forgive. Oddly enough however, those who had a strong relationship with their father were less likely to have open faith conversations with their children, a gap that Communio noted as a ministry opportunity. Overall, 48% of regular churchgoers admitted they were not having at least weekly faith conversations with their own children.

Communio encouraged parents to “sanctify everyday rhythms,” such as using a regular pick up time from school as a time to engage in faith conversations. It also encouraged parents to ask questions, drawing their children’s attention to the ways God has been present throughout their day. “The good news here is any Christian parent not already having these conversations with their kids can take a step today to make this a regular part of their routine,” said JP De Gance, founder and president of Communio.