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When Two Become One: Building Healthy Marriages in Church

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You may be well aware that nearly 1 in 2 marriages across the United States ends in divorce. Here at Boone Center for the Family, we are committed to helping build stronger, healthier relationships between couples, their families and communities — no doubt a large goal you hold for your church.

The reality is that no marriage is free from struggle. Below are six practical ways to support stronger, healthier marriages in your church.

Personal - Relational Practicals

  • Pastors and church leaders must prioritize their own strong and healthy marriages so they can effectively help minister to others who have relational issues.
  • Resist the temptation to make relational problems simple without being specific. For instance, "All that relationship partners really need is to love one another."

Pulpit Practicals

  • Don't be afraid to be vulnerable with your community about your own struggles in your marital relationship and how you are addressing those issues. Make sure you discuss these things first with your spouse.
  • Resist the temptation of making stereotypical comments about gender or sarcastic complaints about husbands and wives.

Programmatic Practicals

  • Changing the course of marriages strengthens the family, church and culture. Small groups that work on marriages using the pain and peace cycles such as "RelateStrong" and "5 Days to a New Marriage" give a common community language while helping people grow in relationship.
  • The virtues that make marriage work are absolutely compatible with spiritual formation and discipleship. Sermons, small groups and studies integrate both spirituality and real life relationships.

Changing the course of marriages strengthens the family, church and culture.

Looking for more ways to support healthy marriages in your church? Download our free RelateStrong | Leadership Series eBook for statistics, insight, and an in-depth look on sample pain and peace cycles from experienced marriage and family therapists.