Does the church overlook grandparents? An untapped resource for sharing faith with our children

Most people have fond memories and lots of nostalgia when it comes to grandparents and grandparent figures. Few would disagree that they are influential for the children and young people around them, whether at home or in church. But my research at Liverpool Hope University showed that many Christian grandparents lack confidence in sharing their faith with their grandchildren. While plenty of grandparents shared that they did talk to their grandchild about Jesus, some had never even considered that they could play a part in nurturing their grandchild’s relationship with God. Many others wanted to share but did not know whether that was appropriate or what the boundaries were. There were many facing significant barriers, such as geographic distance, relational strain or differences in faith beliefs among the family. Yet even those with few barriers often felt ill-equipped or unempowered. 

As we look at how local churches, denominational groups and various Christian media outlets communicate about sharing faith with children, it’s no surprise why many grandparents feel this way. My research showed that while there were many mentions of the importance of parents or carers in these social media posts and online articles, the contributions of grandparents or grandparent figures were rarely acknowledged. Likewise, the Christian grandparents interviewed said that the role of grandparents in passing on their faith was seldom mentioned in their church, so they assumed that their input was not valued. Many felt that safeguarding guidelines prevented them from speaking to children or young people in their churches. Others felt out of touch with the needs and interests of younger generations, so held back unless they were explicitly invited to contribute. 

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Yet we are living in a season of extreme busyness in families as well as reduced volunteer numbers and resources to take part in organised children and youth ministry. What could happen if all grandparents and grandparent figures up and down the country felt empowered to take a more active part in supporting the faith of younger generations? What would it look like to raise more awareness of safeguarding among our congregations so we can clarify what interactions and conversations are safe and valuable? To encourage grandparent figures in our churches to actively come alongside younger generations and support them as they explore faith. This can only occur, however, if churches intentionally change their messaging and choose to openly talk about the importance of grandparents and grandparent figures and the immense value they have as part of the team working towards the Great Commission. 

Toddler groups are ideal places for this to happen. Often, grandparent figures have a bit more time available but may be reluctant to put themselves forward to help with such activities. So a bit of prompting, encouragement and simple training can work wonders to boost morale and inspire them to get involved. It may be that specific roles need to be created or clearly defined so that they know what is expected of them, such as serving refreshments, greeting everyone as they arrive or circulating to find out how everyone’s week has been. Once they have a specific role, you will often see this naturally develop as they become more fully embedded into the toddler group team. Parents and carers who come along really appreciate the care, attention and wisdom older generations can bring to your toddler group. As they grow in confidence, they will tend to tell parts of their life story, and parts of their faith story and will minister to the toddler group families. Or perhaps these sorts of conversations can occur on Sundays during informal times – with a bit of encouragement, grandparent figures can come alongside and encourage children and their parents. They can inspire children and young people with their life of faith. They can pray for them, listen to them and be role models of faith in the life of the church. Even within organised parts of the service, intentionally encouraging interactions across different generations is so powerful, and very much reflects what we see in Psalm 78, where stories of God are passed down to future generations (Psalm 78:4). 

So I’d encourage your church to reflect on how you can adjust your messaging to better recognise, encourage, and equip grandparents and grandparent figures to play a more active role in mission and evangelism. How could your processes and structures be changed to accommodate and enable more interactions across generations? How could you deliberately spark faith conversations to inspire younger generations to get to know God more? Don’t miss out on the amazing resource of grandparents and grandparent figures in your church. 

To start this journey, we’d love you to join us at the first-ever UK conference about Christian Grandparenting, in Milton Keynes on Saturday 3 October 2026. chris​tian​grand​par​ents​.co​.uk