Peer-reviewed article
BELIEVING BUT NOT PASSING IT ON: WHY CHRISTIAN PARENTS IN EASTERN AFRICA STRUGGLE TO DISCIPLE THEIR CHILDREN AT HOME
Nafula Fredrick Wanjala, Wanjiru Kinuva ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-sonnet-5-5The article looks at why Christian parents in Eastern Africa often do not teach their faith to their children at home, even though they are personally devout. It uses a 2025 OneHope survey of 758 Christian parents, plus interviews with 31 church leaders. Parents pray and attend church often, but far fewer talk about the Bible with their children. The authors say the main barriers are a lack of practical knowledge and confidence, and a reliance on the church to do what they see as a parental task. They recommend giving parents simple, culturally relevant tools for practising faith at home.
Key points
- 69% of parents pray daily and 75% attend church weekly.
- Only 36% discuss the Bible with their children frequently.
- Fewer than 10% feel fully equipped to disciple their children at home.
- The main obstacles are described as a lack of practical knowledge and confidence, not spiritual indifference.
- Parents rely heavily on institutions such as the church for faith formation.
Limitations
The abstract reports only parents' own answers and church leaders' views. It has no data from children and no measured outcomes for their well-being. The survey comes from a faith organisation, and the abstract says seven countries but names only six. It does not test any intervention.
Abstract
Christian parents in Eastern Africa find themselves at a paradoxical position. On one hand they are one of the most individually devout believers globally, yet most of them are unable to translate their devotion into deliberate faith formation within their respective homes. This article examines the gap between private religious practice and intentional parental discipleship among Christian parents across seven Eastern Africa countries: Burundi, Ethiopia, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda. It draws on survey data from the OneHope Faith Foundations Eastern Africa Report (2025), which surveyed 758 Christian parents from the aforementioned Eastern Africa countries. The report reveals that while 69% of parents pray daily, and 75% attend church weekly, only 36% discuss the Bible with their children frequently, and fewer than 10% feel fully equipped to disciple their children at home. The study employs a quantitative survey design, supplemented by interviews with 31 church leaders, to assess the frequency of spiritual practices, perceived barriers and parental confidence in faith transmission. Findings reveal that the primary obstacles are not spiritual indifference but a deficit of practical knowledge and confidence, compounded by an over-reliance on institutional structures such as the church to carry out what is fundamentally a parental responsibility. This article concludes that the most strategic investment Eastern Africa churches and ministries can make in the next generation is the equipping of parents with simple, culturally relevant, and accessible tools for practising faith at home, beyond daily church attendance.