In Marriage and Divorce Magazine, the March 1980 issue, these statistics were given:

‘Right now in the U.S. 1 out of 3 marriages ends in divorce.
However, in a marriage where both people were married in a church the divorce rate is 1 out of 50.
In a marriage where the couple is married in a church, they attend church every Sunday and they pray and read the Bible together, the divorce rate is 1 out of 1,105.
That’s the difference that Jesus Christ makes in a marriage.’

These statistics may be old and somewhat outdated, but the principal remains the same. That is why it is so important that we make it plain to couples taking the Married for Life course that the course will do nothing for their marriage if they don’t apply the principles on a daily basis. But if they do…! As one couple recently testified, ‘Our marriage wasn’t transformed it was reborn!’ This truth applies to us as leaders also, if you get so busy that you begin to set aside your time in prayer and the Word, either together or individually you will loose your effectiveness in ministering to your couples. Remember, as your ministry grows you will need more time in prayer and the Word, not less. Don’t let the enemy trick you into thinking that you don’t have time for God.