The theme for this year’s Orange Conference is It’s Personal— because it all changes when it’s someone you know. This is no more true for those people who work in marriage ministry. Especially because marriage is such a personal relationship.
So what makes marriage ministry personal for you? Who do you know that makes such a difference in the work you do? We recently asked that question on our private Facebook group (which you should join if you haven’t already). And here are some of the responses we got.
Why is Marriage Ministry Personal?
- “When my husband and I learned so much in marriage counseling after working through tough issues, we looked at each other and said, “had we known these things 10 years ago things may have been different.” It was then that we realized the church has the means to help couples like us. So I started a marriage ministry.” —Monica Lane Humpal
- “We too struggled and watched as the church had no idea what to do for us…as a result they did nothing, said nothing. It seemed to us that a struggling marriage was taboo. Don’t ask, don’t tell. Silence and isolation create a haven for the enemy’s success. Marriage ministry is a place to be real, to let the struggle be real and to find help to fight the good fight.” —Elaine McFarland
- “Facing our own struggles in marriage was the spark that began the marriage ministry in our church 7 years ago. We attended a worldwide marriage encounter retreat because we noticed so many friends getting divorced. We didn’t want the same thing to happen to us. We learned that we too were broken but God had bigger plans for us. God uses us to glorify Him through the fire that continues to burn inside us for marriage.” —Marcy Renken
- “Though we haven’t had major struggles, we have watched friends “suffer” through unhappy marriages and others end in divorce. Too many marriages are ending in divorce in the church. Mark Gungor and Ted Cunningham have taught us how to have a fun marriage. We desire that for all marriages!” —Denyse Fleming Anderson
- “Seeing friends at church getting a divorced or close to it breaks my heart and compels me to keep going.” —Laura Thompson Wright
- “The start to working in Marriage Ministry was personal, seeing the devastation of a my sister experiencing a struggling relationship without Christ that ended in divorce (she had only been married a year) spurred something in us to help prevent this happening in others. It was as if it happened to us. Then, God directed our paths to gradually do more and more with couples.” —Kim Kvamme
- “Too many ” I never thought ______ and ______ would get divorced” moments.” —Melissa Brandt
What makes marriage ministry personal for you?
Married People exists to help your church help marriages. We provide resources, training, and community to church leaders who work with marriages and families.
