Communio

08/28/2026

If your church already knows relationship ministry matters, the next question is: Where do we start?

Not every church needs the same first step. Some need to assess relational health. Some need a premarital pathway. Some need mentor couples. Some need team alignment. Some need a broader strategy.

But the starting point is the same: Stop guessing. Start with clarity.

Schedule a conversation with our team to learn more about that next right step.

https://hubs.ly/Q04s6jtb0

08/26/2026

This month in the newsletter, we covered four practical questions:
1. Which relational groups are easiest for churches to overlook?
2. Why should marriage care not depend only on the pastor?
3. How can premarital ministry become upstream discipleship?
4. What does it look like to build a system instead of another event?

A relationally healthy church is not built by accident. It is built through clear pathways, shared ownership, and proactive care.

If you missed the series, subscribe now. We’ll keep building on it next month.

Blogs, resources, and more on family, faith, and marriage.

08/24/2026

Pastors and ministry leaders:
What is the biggest gap in most premarital processes?

A. Not enough time
B. Not enough mentor couples
C. No follow-up after the wedding
D. Too much focus on the ceremony
E. Couples wait too long to ask for help

We really want to know.

Comment below!

08/20/2026

A couple preparing for marriage is not just preparing for a ceremony. They are forming the household that may shape faith, family, and church engagement for decades.

https://hubs.ly/Q04rJrFj0

08/19/2026

When an engaged couple comes to the church, they are asking some of the most important questions they will ever ask:
- Are we ready?
- What kind of marriage are we building?
- How do we handle conflict?
- What role will faith play in our home?
- Who will walk with us after the wedding?

That season is one of the most important discipleship windows in adult life.

But too often, churches treat premarital ministry as a requirement before the ceremony instead of a pathway into lifelong formation.

The wedding day should not be the finish line. It should be the beginning of a long-term relationship between that couple and the church.

This week’s newsletter will unpack why premarital ministry may be one of the most overlooked church engagement opportunities.

Church growth is not fixed by adding more programs. Discover a relationship centered strategy that strengthens families and drives lasting church renewal and growth.

08/19/2026

"Your no today will lead to a much, much better yes tomorrow." - J.P. De Gance

That is the message behind one of the most striking statistics in marriage research: couples who skip cohabitation and premarital s*x have a 60 to 80 percent lower divorce rate.

In a culture that treats moving in together as a logical step toward marriage — a test run, a practical decision, a sign of maturity — that number deserves an honest conversation.

J.P. De Gance sits down with FamilyLife's Sarah Harnisch on Faith Under Fire to unpack exactly why the order of commitment matters. He references the work of John Van Epp — co-author of End Game alongside J.P. and the researcher behind the RAM model — to explain why couples who honor that order don't end up behind. They end up with a dramatically stronger foundation.

The RAM Series is one of the resources Communio recommends to its church partners for exactly this reason. If your church works with couples in the pre-marriage season, it is worth knowing about (ramseries.com)

The no to cohabitation is not a no to love. It is not a no to the relationship. It is a no that protects the yes that matters most.

Listen to the full interview here:
https://shows.audiocdn.com/s/familylifeministries/faith-under-fire-family-ef8f90/faith-under-fire-j-p-deg-fcb9c3

Before launching "Communio", J.P. DeGance led a 3-year 20-million dollar study to test what moves the needle on marital health, family stability, and church engagement. How many church kids stay Christian in their 30's and 40's? Family Life's Sarah Harnisch sat down with DeGance to break it down....

08/17/2026

Most churches are structured to respond after a crisis. A couple reaches out, a pastor steps in, counseling begins, referrals may happen. That care matters, but if that is the only model, the church stays downstream.

A mentor network helps shift the church upstream by distributing support through trusted couples. It reduces pressure on the pastor while creating earlier access points for care.

What would be the biggest barrier to launching something like this in your church: finding couples, training them, creating guardrails, or getting leadership buy-in?

Church growth is not fixed by adding more programs. Discover a relationship centered strategy that strengthens families and drives lasting church renewal and growth.

08/13/2026

Myth: Building a relationship ministry requires a large staff and a big budget.

Fact: Many churches can start by activating the trusted couples already sitting in the pews.

A marriage mentor network does not have to begin with a large launch.

It can start with:
• Identifying a few mature couples
• Defining clear guardrails
• Training mentors for focused conversations
• Matching couples intentionally
• Creating a simple follow-up process

The goal is not to make volunteers into counselors. The goal is to create a relational pathway where couples receive support before a crisis happens.

https://hubs.ly/Q04rHFzg0

08/12/2026

Pastors should absolutely care for marriages. But pastors should not be the only access point for marriage care.

By the time a couple asks for counseling, they may already be at a breaking point.

What would change if support started earlier?

Not in a formal office. Not after months of silent strain. Not only when divorce feels possible. But over coffee with a trusted couple, through honest conversation before the crisis.

That is the power of a marriage mentor https://hubs.ly/Q04rJ2-n0 does not replace pastoral care. It extends it. A marriage mentor network gives couples more access points for support, gives mature couples a clear role, and helps the church move from reactive care to ongoing formation.

This week’s newsletter will unpack how a church can begin building a mentor network without adding a massive program or overwhelming staff.

Subscribe to get the practical breakdown.
https://hubs.ly/Q04rJ2Gz0

08/10/2026

We’re not putting the full breakdown here.

This month, we’re using the newsletter to go deeper on a question every pastor eventually faces:
How do you build a church where relationships are strengthened before a crisis?

On social, we’ll share the big ideas.
In the newsletter, we’ll unpack the practical details:
• The five relational groups most churches need to assess
• The early warning signs pastors often miss
• How to start without overwhelming your team
• Where mentorship and premarital pathways fit
• What a scalable relationship ministry can look like

If you’re planning for fall ministry, this is the kind of conversation worth having before the calendar fills up.

Subscribe to the newsletter for the deeper August series.
https://hubs.ly/Q04svkQk0