Christian enrolment services to accompany the transition from kindergarten to primary school - empirical interviews with responsible persons

Christian enrolment services are very popular at many German primary schools. Theoretically, these ceremonies can be interpreted as ‘new religious rituals’ from a theological perspective, or as elements of a transition process from an educational perspective. Both perspectives conceive of enrolment services as a rite of passage. The essay reports the findings of two empirical studies in which people responsible for conducting this kind of event were asked about their views. Among other things, the results reveal a characteristic tension: On the one hand, the respondents widely agree that it is important to ritually accompany first-year pupils on the threshold to school. On the other hand, non-Christian or non-religious pupils and their families tend to be neglected, and especially among pastors multi-religious forms of enrolment ceremonies are met with strong reservations.

school enrolment, church service, collective worship, transition, empirical study