An initiative between two groups is aiming to strengthen and restore the institutions on which our society is built: marriage and the family.
The pro-family nonprofit ministry known as Communio and Texas Baptists (The Texas Baptist General Convention of Texas) are planning to equip thousands of churches statewide to support couples and reverse divorce trends, Communio said in a recent press release.
“The effort comes as the most recent statewide data available on marriage and family trends highlights several areas of concern, revealing that 42.1 percent of children in Texas are born to unmarried parents and that only 54 percent of children in the state are raised by their married, biological parents,” the release stated.
In addition, the fertility rate in 2024 dropped to an all-time low as more adults delayed marriage and having children of their own, Breitbart News reported in July.
However, Communio‘s founder and president, JP De Gance, believes the situation can and will change. He said the partnership has already seen major transformation with more people attending church in Texas and numerous marriages being saved, per a news release from the Texas Baptists.
“I am thrilled that this new partnership with the Texas Baptists will give thousands of pastors easier access to our ministry support services. This means many more people meeting Jesus and many more thriving Christian marriages,” he added.
Communio also cited data showing how family fragmentation often results in problems such as a higher risk of poverty, lower educational outcomes for children, and increased levels of loneliness and social isolation.
Communio’s goal is to help pastors and leaders serve couples’ relational needs and bolster their families. The ministry uses data-informed strategies, coaching, and relationship programs to help build healthier marriages in churches across the nation.
In a 2024 article, Alliance Defending Freedom’s Neal Hardin explained how marriage and the family are God’s design and the “basic building blocks of human society.”
He wrote, “The degree to which we honor these institutions is directly correlated to the ongoing survival and flourishing of civilization itself.”
When speaking of the partnership, Texas Baptists Executive Director Julio Guarneri said, “At a time when many couples and families are under growing strain, the local church is best positioned to respond not only by preaching the gospel, but by walking alongside people in their most important relationships. This partnership with Communio is timely.”
