The initial objective of the
Alabama Marriage Initiative
is to inform and equip members of Alabama churches to respond to the marital crisis. Since 1970, Alabama’s divorce rate has experienced a 400 percent increase. Research shows that this increase has contributed greatly to growth of poverty, juvenile crime, personal bankruptcies and childhood depression.

The entire professional counseling staff of Alabama Baptist Children’s Homes & Family Ministries has been trained to administer and interpret pre-marital and marriage enrichment programs for your church. These instruments are designed to show engaged and married couples their strengths and challenge areas.

Alabama Baptist Children's Homes & Family Ministries actively partners with and cooperates with the Alabama State Board of Missions to promote Covenant Marriage among all Alabama
Baptist congregations.



Participate in the
Alabama Marriage Initiative:

• Become informed about the state of families in Alabama
  and in your community. Learn all you can about the trends
  and how they compare to the national demographic landscape.
• Encourage your pastor to explore the possibility of making
  your church a Covenant Marriage Congregation.
  (For information, visit www.covenantmarriage.com)
• Encourage your church to require meaningful and adequate
  pre-marital counseling for couples who want to become
  married in your place of worship.
• Encourage your church to begin a mentor-couple program
  to help young couples learn how to have Christ-centered marriages.
• Vote. Find out how your local, state and national governments,
  including your U.S. Congressional representatives, have voted on pro-family issues.
• Write your government leaders polite letters to let them know
  that you pray for them daily and to make them aware of how
  important family issues are to you.
  

"The Alabama Marriage Initiative is right on target in its
attempts to influence changes in legislation and to help
reduce the divorce rate. The church may be the family's
last great hope, because the church has a greater
commitment to families than any other institution."
    - Nick and Nancy Stinnett, authors,
      Magnificent Marriage: 10 Beacons Show the Way to Marriage Happiness

". . . We recognize the tremendous need for increased
emphasis on marriage as a life-long covenant providing
the essential foundation for the Christian home."
   -  Eileen Wright, Discipleship & Family Ministries Office,
      Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions