Young married couples in your church are more likely to get divorced than any other age group. The most recent research by the Pew Research Center shows the divorce rate between the ages of twenty-five and thirty-nine is the highest of any demographic, although it has declined since 1990. When researching my book, Making Love Last, I discovered that about 20 percent of … [Read more...]
Broken: The impact of divorce on children—and 4 ways to ease their pain
Most of us have witnessed a divorce within our congregations; many of us have seen it up close and personal in our own families. It doesn’t matter how big or small the church is, divorce goes well beyond affecting just the parents and children involved. It affects their extended family, it affects all the people they are serving with, and it affects the people they may be … [Read more...]
Single-parent families: The mission field in Sunday pews
In the early days of my being single again, friends said, “Call me if you need anything.” But I didn’t call anyone for several months. Why? Because I had so many needs I didn’t know where to begin. Then one Saturday morning, a flat tire forced me to into the unfamiliar world of car maintenance. My husband and I had settled into traditional roles: I took … [Read more...]