Communio

10/12/2026

The new Getting Practical About Relationships and Marriage video conversation is designed to help church leaders move from general conviction toward a more concrete ministry discussion.

Begin with Part 1, then consider what the right first step may be in your church.

https://hubs.ly/Q04zWMHg0

10/08/2026

Before you add another marriage event to the calendar, ask whether your church knows what its people actually need.

This week's newsletter looks at why practical relationship ministry begins with diagnosis rather than activity, and why no church has to solve every need at once.

If you haven’t subscribed it’s not too late. Click the link to subscribe.
https://hubs.ly/Q04zGdMg0

10/08/2026

“Ultimately, we have to restore a Christian anthropology, a Christian worldview of man and woman in the image of God, and understand that God has made us for a purpose. He's made us to love. He's made us for family,” Communio founder J.P. De Gance told The Christian Post.

In a new Christian Post interview, J.P. explains that many young adults are being shaped by a vision of success centered on career, financial independence, and personal achievement, while marriage, children, and family life are increasingly treated as optional or secondary.

That creates an important discipleship question for church leaders: What vision of the good life are we helping people build?

If churches want to strengthen marriage and family, the work cannot begin only when a couple is engaged or in crisis.

It means creating a ministry culture where healthy relationships are part of spiritual formation.

Relationship ministry is not simply about fixing problems. It's about helping people imagine and live a distinctly Christian vision of love, marriage, family, and faith.

Read the full Christian Post interview:

Churches, more than the government, can remedy America s marriage and fertility crisis by restoring a vision of marriage and family as the richest source of human meaning, starting with the people in

10/07/2026

A good curriculum can still be the wrong first move. Before choosing a program, clarify the need, the audience, the capacity, and the pathway that should follow.

Save this for your next leadership meeting.

10/06/2026

Where does your church need the clearest relationship-ministry starting point?

If you aren't certain, that's perfectly fine. Take our Marriage Ministry Assessment to discover your starting point.

https://hubs.ly/Q04zlQ7d0

10/02/2026

What happens when churches intentionally invest in healthy marriages and families?

J.P. De Gance, president and founder of Communio, recently joined Parent Compass for How One Ministry Cut Divorce by 24% in 3 Years.

J.P. shares the story of Communio’s work in Jacksonville, Florida, where 93 churches helped reach nearly 60,000 people through relationship-focused ministry and the city’s divorce rate fell 24% over three years.

The conversation also explores why marriage and family matter so much for the future of faith—and why churches have an opportunity to act before relationships reach crisis.

From helping singles build healthy relationship skills to strengthening marriages and equipping parents to pass faith to the next generation, relationship ministry can become an important part of everyday discipleship.

Watch the full conversation:

JP DeGance, founder of Communio and co-author of "Endgame: The Chur...

10/02/2026

Most churches do not lack marriage-ministry ideas. They have event ideas, curriculum options, retreat concepts, and people who care deeply about helping families. The harder question is whether those ideas address the most important relational need in the church.

Before choosing what to launch, begin with what is actually happening. Which people have a clear pathway of support? Which people are easy to overlook? Where is pastoral care becoming more reactive? Which couples or leaders could help carry the ministry?

October is about getting practical, not by adding activity, but by choosing the right first step.

What is the hardest part for your church right now: seeing the need, choosing the response, finding leaders, or creating follow-up?
Subscribe to our newsletter to learn ways you can get practical steps to launching your relationship ministry.

https://hubs.ly/Q04z29yB0

10/01/2026

When a young adult in your church says, “I hope to get married someday,” what happens next?

Do they know where to turn for guidance, or does the next clear step come only after they get engaged?

Fox News Digital features J.P. De Gance, president and founder of Communio, discussing our “Family and Civilization” campaign.

For church leaders, here is a practical question to bring to your next staff meeting: What can we offer someone who wants to prepare for a healthy marriage, but is not yet in a relationship?

That could mean connecting them with a trusted mentor, providing opportunities to develop healthy communication skills, or helping them discern the character and commitments that shape a shared life of faith.

The goal is not to rush anyone toward a wedding. It is to help people prepare thoughtfully—and ensure they have a community walking alongside them.

At Communio, we help churches connect that formation with support for engaged couples, marriage enrichment, and care for couples in crisis. These should be connected parts of a ministry strategy, not isolated offerings.

Encouraging someone to pursue a healthy marriage is a beginning. Giving them a clear next step is how we put that encouragement into practice.

Read the full feature:

Communio's JP De Gance says unmarried people in their 30s are the loneliest demographic and urges churches to actively encourage marriage now.

09/30/2026

The next generation needs more than a warning about family decline. It needs a hopeful vision for marriage.

In a Fox News appearance, J.P. De Gance, president and founder of Communio, warned that America faces a “civilizational bottleneck” as marriage and birth rates decline. He pointed to an opportunity for churches to help reverse that decline: inspiring young people to pursue marriage before relationships reach crisis.

For church leaders, that raises an important question: Are we helping young adults see marriage as something worth preparing for?

Watch JP’s conversation on Fox News:

Communio founder J.P. De Gance says churches can help reverse America's family decline by inspiring young people to pursue marriage before relationships reach crisis.

09/30/2026

What happens in the home belongs in the conversation about church health.

In a recent NTD interview, J.P. De Gance, president and founder of Communio, discussed findings from the Institute for Family Studies linking regular church attendance with greater marital happiness.

For church leaders, this is not a reason to assume that couples in the pews are doing fine. It is an invitation to think more intentionally about how our churches support their marriages.

We believe marriage ministry belongs within the church’s ongoing work of discipleship.

Helping couples practice forgiveness, navigate conflict, and deepen their commitment is one way to connect the faith we proclaim with the relationships people live every day.

Watch JP’s interview with NTD:

A new report by the Institute for Family Studies says regular churchgoers have happier marriage.