How would you prioritize the following ministry concerns:
- Grow the church numerically
- Increase giving
- Grow members spiritually
- Increase support for youth ministries
- Grow healthy marriages
- Increase volunteerism
We know these are all important to you and difficult to separate, as one always affects another. Fortunately, Leadership Network’s Chris Willard knows the starting point, the one focus that causes all of these other needs to fall into place. In the short video below, Chris pinpoints MARRIAGE MINISTRY as the proverbial Square One to improve all other areas of church health, including giving! Of course, building healthy families, creating godly legacies, breaking generational patterns, and expanding community engagement are our primary reason for focusing on marriage first.
But who knew healthy marriages could solve so many other ministry concerns! It’s simply of matter of putting first things first. And it makes sense–doesn’t it?–because the majority of church members are married, and marriage struggles seem to preempt a couple’s ability to focus well on outside concerns. Yet few ministry leaders have a strategy for growing healthy marriages.
“There are very few things in the life of the church that would not be improved if the marriages in that church were improved,” says Chris.
Watch the video to hear two of Chris’s ideas (one strategic, one tactical) for maximizing a marriage ministry. You’ll also hear details about a group forming this fall to support each other in launching marriage ministries in their churches. See how your church can be a part of that initiative:
