Reclaiming Godly Marriage in Indiana
In Genesis we learn that everything God created was "good"--although one part was more important than all the rest of creation...us!!!

Gen 2:18    "It is not good for man to be alone; I will make a helper suitable for him."

God did not create Eve immediately, first He showed Adam all the pairs of animals so that Adam understood that he was alone. When Adam recognized his lonliness, God then gave Adam the gift of Eve. And Adam said, "Eve you're the only woman in the world for me!" Well, maybe not.

You see, God created the institution of marriage. It was not a government program. Marriage literally existed before God created the institution of government. As our leaders listen more to what the world says marriage should be and pay less attention to what God created it to be, we will experience continual erosion in our families, our communities, and in every part of our culture.

Today only 13 states have a higher divorce rate than Indiana. Pastors report that 50-75% of couples preparing for a wedding are already living together; a decision that doubles the probability that they will become a divorce statistic. Every year 30,000 Hoosier children become the victim of a broken home.

IFI research reveals that the strength of our marriages affects intractable societal problems including domestic violence, child abuse, and the effectiveness of local schools.

Everyone agrees that these statistics about our home state are unacceptable. The challenge is: What can we do? Multiple studies conclude that marriage preparation for engaged couples and enrichment training for married couples can vastly improve the health of our marriages, and therefore affect every aspect of life for couples.

Although media regularly report alarming statistics about families, grass roots movements in Indiana that often go unnoticed are reversing these same statistics. Church and community leaders preparing couples for marriage, enriching existing marriages, and developing safety nets for couples in crisis repeatedly prove that education and training can change everything. Regrettably, only a small percentage of Indiana’s 8000 churches have the staffing and training to prepare couples for successful marriages or to enrich existing marriages.

Marriage Matters Indiana is IFI's answer to church and community leader's requests for help in strengthening their marriages and families. IFI developed a program to help these leaders build a local team, clarify their vision and goals, and come along side to train church and community leaders to help them achieve their goals. It takes time and intensive commitment, but it works...and over time we can restore our families, and rebuild our communities.