Marriage Enrichment Retreats

Many church leaders are committed to devoting attention to pre-marital and marital programs to

prepare their members for the challenges of married life. In the past, religious institutions did not spend

much attention on helping couples learn how to live happily ever after in the life long, monogamous

marriage they endorsed. The truth is, marriage takes a commitment that goes beyond romantic

idealism. It’s not a matter of just “doing what comes naturally” but teaching people the necessary skills

to keep marriages vital and effective.

Marriage is a complex venture of meshing two unique individuals from unique family backgrounds into

what they hope will be an effective, harmonious unit. So often, doing nothing means couples are on

their own to learn the skills they need to build a solid marriage. Then, when a couple is in trouble, the

best we do is refer them for therapy. Whereas research generally shows religiosity to be a deterrent to

divorce, based on his telephone sample of over 7000 adults, Barna (2001) makes the rather startling

report that born-again adults (27%) are just as likely to divorce as non-born-again adults (24%). Since

1986, according to Cornes (1993), most divorces in the United States take place by the seventh year

of marriage. In light of these findings, it certainly makes sense to take proactive steps to assist

marriages early on and throughout the marital life stages.

Churches can assist couples in developing skills and attitudes that will strengthen and sometimes save

troubled marriages. Marriage is a lifelong vocation and couples will go through stresses and strain

throughout their various life stages. Providing education and training can be one way the church

supports and provides resources to enhance the health of their married members. .