Churches combat
marriage crises
More than 100 churches join in effort
By Joe
Couto
Special to ChristianWeek
TORONTO–With divorce rates skyrocketing, record numbers of couples "living together" and two-income families more of a necessity than a choice, the pressures on marriages can be overwhelming. Christian marriages are subjected to financial and relational pressures that have resulted in divorce, infidelity, spousal abuse and other relationship killers being more common among Christians than ever before.
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To
help couples maneuver around the threats to solid
marriages and families, more than 100 churches in
Toronto have joined together to sponsor a two-day
seminar on marriage and relationships by popular
American Christian counsellor Gary Smalley in
November at the 2,500-seat Prayer Palace. But the
key to the joint effort is a 12-week program
based on Smalley’s book Making Love Last
Forever that will be rotated after the
seminar among the churches. "Churches have been tremendous in responding to this," said Andy McNabb, whose multi-media company Online Christian Network is organizing the seminar and the follow-up program. "Los Angeles, two-and-a half times bigger than Toronto, had only 82 churches cooperating." McNabb said the key to getting the denominationally diverse churches to cooperate was the training being offered to local church leaders to lead the program in their churches themselves. |
| Garry Smalley says love is a decision. |
"There will be small group training in October where pastors, elders or people with a heart for couples will be equipped to take the program into their own churches," says McNabb. Special emphasis is being placed on getting the estimated 30 percent of conference attendees who are "unchurched" into a church, he said.
Marriage seminars and local church programs are growing in popularity with couples who face a barrage of emotional, physical and financial strains on their relationships.
