We’ve all heard it: “Preachers’ kids leave the church.” But does the data actually support that belief?In this episode of Trends with Truth in Churches of Christ, Dr. Michael Jackson, President of Heritage Christian University, and Dale Jenkins of The Jenkins Institute examine survey data about the adult children of preachers—and some of the results may surprise you.The survey included 119 ministry families representing 273 adult children, and the findings challenge several common assumptions about growing up in a preacher’s home.Among the questions Michael and Dale discuss:• How many preacher’s kids remain faithful as adults?• Does moving from congregation to congregation hurt a minister’s children?• Does working long ministry hours cause children to leave the church?• Why might staying at one congregation longer matter?• Are preacher’s kids in small churches at a disadvantage?• What can ministers and churches do to help ministry families thrive?• Are we raising children simply to attend church—or preparing them for lifelong faithfulness?One of the strongest trends in the survey was especially striking: the longer a preacher remained with a congregation, the more likely his adult children were to remain faithful.But the conversation goes deeper than statistics.Michael and Dale discuss stability, relationships with other Christians, ministry expectations, quality family time, small-church challenges, and what young ministers should consider when raising children while serving the church.The goal isn’t to create fear for ministry families. It’s to replace assumptions with truth—and to learn what churches and Christian families can do better.Trends with Truth examines the real trends affecting churches of Christ using surveys, research, experience, and honest conversation.Hosted by Dr. Michael Jackson and Dale Jenkins.Subscribe for more conversations about ministry, congregational life, evangelism, leadership, preaching, and the future of churches of Christ.

CHAPTERS:

00:00 Do Preachers’ Kids Leave the Church?

02:03 Why Study Preachers’ Kids?

03:43 What the Survey Found

05:00 The Biggest Predictor of Adult Faithfulness

05:28 Does Staying at One Church Matter?

06:21 Why Congregational Stability May Matter

08:28 Does Moving Churches Hurt Your Kids?

09:59 Do Long Ministry Hours Damage Families?

11:37 Are Small Churches Harder for Preachers’ Kids?

12:48 Helping Kids Build Christian Connections

14:41 Gender, Birth Order & Other Factors

15:46 Parenting Doesn’t End at 18

17:02 Advice for Young Preachers

17:51 Family Time vs. Ministry Responsibility

19:01 Raising Faithful Adults, Not Just Church Kids

20:27 Hope for Ministry Families

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