Christian grandparents: An underused resource in the faith lives of youth and children?

It’s over 20 years now since my Grandad moved on to heaven, but I am still inspired by his prayers and the role model of faith he was to me. His well-worn Bible was always open next to his favourite armchair, and he told me on so many occasions that whilst he couldn’t physically do much in his later years, so he would sit talking to Jesus for large portions of the day, particularly praying for me and my family. I will never forget him. His faith inspires me still now and will do for the rest of my life. 

Similar stories are told many times over by people around the world. So many would tell you of the influence of a Christian grandparent on their faith journey. There is something so special about grandparents – the bond between them and their grandchild is usually mutually satisfying and is so valuable in providing a trustworthy person who is constant in the life of a growing child. Often grandparents have a bit more time and are therefore able to be more available. They have the benefit of life experience to draw on. And as Christians, they are able to pass on their legacy of faith to their grandchildren. 

Now that I have my own children, I am so thankful that they have great role models of faith in their grandparents. But I’ve been surprised to hear that many Christian grandparents struggle to know how to share their faith with their grandchildren. Many are unsure of what is ok to say and are hesitant to say or do too much. Many tell me that they don’t know how to make faith feel relevant in the lives of modern-day children and teens. For some the boundaries of what’s ok are unknown and for others it has been made clear that faith should not be a topic of conversation amongst wider family. 

During the pandemic, when there was so much isolation amongst extended families and emotions and experiences were intensified, I did some research amongst Christian grandparents. I wanted to find out more about their experiences and how they could be better equipped. More recently, I did a second related piece of research. Here’s some of what I found out from these two projects…