In the National Church Life Survey, we surveyed over 5,000 child church attenders aged 8 to 14 years of age, in more than 20 denominations across Australia.
Children were invited to share their perspectives on faith, belief and church. Positive results overall show that child churchgoers love God and their churches.
A Christian identity
Some eight in 10 child church attenders surveyed (82%) describe themselves as a Christian.
Beliefs about God
In terms of their personal beliefs, results reveal that nine in 10 child church attenders believe God exists. Another 9% are unsure and the remaining 1% do not believe God exists.
Views of God and Jesus
In their views of God and Jesus, nine in 10 child church attenders speak positively about God or Jesus. Nine on 10 affirm the statements 'I know that Jesus helps me'; 'God means a lot to me'; and 'God helps me to lead a better life'.
Some 3 in 4 child church attenders agree the Bible and prayer are helpful to their life.
In these results, overall we see that child churchgoers give positive statements about their love of God, their Christian identity and their beliefs in God. Practices including Bible reading and prayer were also strongly affirmed as valuable to them in their personal lives.
For more information on significant people who act as a role models in faith see our article: People of influence in children's faith formation
