Couple distress continues to number among the most frequently encountered difficulties. The divorce rate in America continues to hover around 50%, with half of these divorces occurring in the first 7 years of marriage.
Rates of marital distress in presently married couples approximate 20% of couples at any time, with marital satisfaction decreasing considerably over the first decade of marriage (Bradbury, Fincham, & Beach, 2000).
As a Minister as well as a Family Therapist, I am deeply concerned about the high number of couples, Christian and non Christian who live day in and day out with emotional and spiritual distress. About 1/2 of all marriages end in divorce and 1/2 of those occur within the first seven years.Every single Minister I know is deeply concerned about this situation and yet they do little if anything to prevent it. For decades we have known what causes most divorces and thus we can help newly weds deal with the issues through pre-marital preparation.
Thankfully, Roman Catholics have a series of pre-marital classes that each couple planning to marry must take before the knot is tied. The Vineyard Community Church here in Cincinnati also has pre-marital preparation but few others do as far as I know.
Would those of you in Ministry who do NOT prepare your couples let me know why?
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