Spotlight - Marriage Mentoring

Imagine a newly married couple, whom we’ll call Sam and Jody. After a nine-month engagement complete with premarital counseling, they celebrated a picturesque wedding. All their loved ones were present, and the ceremony was meaningful and beautiful. Their marriage got off to a good start. However, it didn’t take long for Sam and Jody’s relationship to drift from blissful to mundane, from exciting to tense. Two wounded and imperfect people inevitably create an imperfect marriage. Sam and Jody’s situation didn’t feel quite like an emergency, but they realized that if their marriage remained unattended, they may cause damage to one another. What could they do?

Sam and Jody discovered that marriage mentoring exists at Imago Dei. They found a seasoned married couple whom we’ll call Tom and Julie. Tom and Julie created space for the young couple to share their struggles. Tom and Julie listened. As mentors, they felt no obligation to “fix” Sam and Jody’s marriage. Rather, they felt called to be a source of encouragement. At times, they had wisdom to offer. At other times, they simply listened and prayed with them. While their marriage is still far from perfect, Sam and Jody now feel it is growing in the right direction.

Marriage mentoring is one part of Marriage in God’s Image, Imago Dei’s marriage ministry. The biggest need we currently have is for seasoned married couples to mentor younger couples. If you’ve been married for 10 years or more, please give it some thought. If you’re interested, you can contact Don and Lisbeth Rhodes at .