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A Year in the Life of the MarriedPeople Strategy

A Year in the Life of the MarriedPeople Strategy

by | Jan 12, 2017 | Resources

by Ted Lowe

“MarriedPeople is different.” We get that a lot. We are different in many ways. For one, we are proactive versus reactive. We think the best thing a church can do for couples is to help them avoid getting into crisis in the first place, and we think the church is the perfect place to make that happen.

MarriedPeople is also different when it comes to content. Often churches have a retreat or study, which offers A LOT of content in a relatively short amount of time. For the typical, busy, already overwhelmed couple, if can feel like drinking from a fire hydrant. When it comes to the content of MarriedPeople strategy and resources, we have a goal:

Give couples less content more often.

We help churches accomplish this through an annual program. Each year you get a branded Strategy Pack with new resources that includes the following:

  • 4 Larger Group Experiences (which can be used for One Night Events or Worship Services)
  • A 5-Session Small Group Study (which can fit into your existing Sunday school or small group model)
  • 4 Date Nights (for Individual Couples to do on their own)
  • 12 monthly newsletters called MarriedPeople Monthly (a monthly email you send to couples through an email management system like MailChimp or Constant Contact)

At first glance, this seems like a lot. But you don’t have to do everything the first year, and even if you do, it is only 25 touchpoints in a 365 day period (or 366 if it’s a leap year).

Marriage is a process. Shouldn’t your church’’s marriage strategy be the same?

Here’s example of a 2017 Calendar. But remember the MP strategy is customizable, allowing you to do what’’s best for the rhythm of your people AND your church.

In an annual calendar . . .

  • Larger Group Experiences are scheduled quarterly (February, May, August and October). You’’ve got Valentine’’s Day covered, as well as three additional events. Each of these could be a One-Night event or part of your weekly Worship Service.
  • Use the multi-week Small Group study in a several week block with your existing small groups or Sunday school classes
  • Date Nights happen four times a year and are effective when promoted as a church-wide event.
  • Each month’s issue of MarriedPeople Monthly is available the first of the month. You can load it into your own email management system, like Constant Contact or MailChimp.

Bottom line——most spouses don’’t harbor ill-will towards their spouse, they just feel disconnected from their spouse. Left unchecked, this disconnection can ultimately lead to the devastation that occurs when couples hit crisis.

So go ahead, give couples 15-25 touchpoints this year, 15-25 reminders to connect with one another. And in the process, you will help them avoid crisis and enjoy connection.

If you need help customizing the Strategy Pack content for your church calendar, contact us at info@marriedpeople.org.

 

 

 

How MarriedPeople is Orange

How MarriedPeople is Orange

by | Jan 10, 2017 | Resources

by Tim Walker

In case you didn’’t know, MarriedPeople is part of something bigger. It’’s called Orange, and it’’s a strategy and resources to equip the church and the family to impact a generation. (If you’’re not familiar with Orange, you can find out more about it at www.thinkorange.com.)

Now, you may be wondering, “How did those two end up together?” (That’’s probably not the first time you’’ve asked that question. You know you’’ve thought that about a couple or two in your life.)

Because if you know anything about Orange, you may be thinking one of the following thoughts:
• Isn’’t Orange about children’’s and youth ministry?
• Not every kid is in a home with two, married parents?

Those are valid questions, so here are 4 reasons why we think MarriedPeople is Orange.

  • MarriedPeople is a strategy. Orange is more than a resource, or a conference, or curriculum. It’’s a strategy. It’’s intentional in connecting the church and home in the way that is both structured and creative. MarriedPeople is a strategy as well. It’’s not just a single resource. It’’s a way to impact the married couples both in your church and in your community with 25 different touch points in a calendar year.
  • One of the Orange principles is to Imagine the End. In other words, when we are impacting a generation, we are keeping in mind that we are raising future adults. And part of that adult life may involve relationships and marriage. We want to create a culture of healthy, connected couples in your church to give kids and teenagers examples of what marriage can look like.
  • Orange believes that what happens at home is just as important as what happens at church. And the culture of the home is affected by the relationship between a child’’s parents or stepparents. With MarriedPeople, we feel like that we can proactively affect that relationship by encouraging couples to build some core habits and connect on a regular basis.
  • Orange believes that two key influences in the life of a child are small group leaders and parents. Here is a reality—some of your volunteers are married. And while they are busy serving and leading, we want to impact their lives personally. MarriedPeople gives a church an opportunity to pour into those leaders as they pour into others.

While every family in your church may not consist of a married couple, the reality is that marriage impacts all of us. A single mom. A blended family. A mom and a dad. A non-married couple living together. We are all affected by marriage——whether it’s our own, the marriage of our parents, other family members, or even friends.

And at MarriedPeople, we want to be proactive to help married couples both in your church and in your community. One of the best gifts you can give a kid or a teenager is encouraging the marriage of their parents (or stepparents), and ultimately affecting the health of the home.

That’’s why MarriedPeople is Orange.

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