I love the era of American history when the prairie schooners and wagons filled up with dreamers who had the courage to sell everything and follow the dream for a better life in the West.A great collage of men, women, families, immigrants, and more gathered at the gateway cities like St. Louis to go west together.Why travel together?It was safer, there were guides who knew the trail ahead, and the strength of fellowship and community made life on the trail easier and more enjoyable.
“Going west” for the Marriage CoMission means working together to stir up the created desire within men and women for life-long, healthy marriages, equipping them to build strong families and raise hope-filled children who will shape our nation and future generations.In each different sector of the Marriage CoMission there are unique purposes and strategies that are being pursued.
The Corporate Group is focused on marriage and family building business policies and practices and encouraging corporations to provide leadership and resources to local city marriage initiatives.The language and methods used by this group reflect the culture they operate in.The Church Group is “going west” with a focus on strengthening marriage and family ministry in the local church and helping grow the influence and leadership the church has in city marriage initiatives.They too operate in a unique culture with a different language and purposes but are still on the westward journey.
Marriage Ministries have the purpose of improving marriage services and resources and doing a better job of building relationships with the on-going marriage and family champions within the cities where they serve.The methods that this group uses to engage in the Marriage CoMission wagon train are unique to their sector.
A similar story is repeated for the Media Group, the Research Group, the Education group, and the Public Group.So, our aim is not to amalgamate all the sectors into one, but rather to overlap the efforts of each sector in order to reach the tipping point of cultural impact.Each sector mobilizes marriage champions within its area and looks for means to coordinate their efforts with the other sectors.This strategy allows each sector to remain true to the culture and language they serve in yet still enjoy the synergy and leverage that comes with collaboration.
If a company in a Marriage CoMission target city is establishing a marriage and family- strengthening focus for its employees, and at the same time there is catchy pro-marriage media messaging in the city, along with local churches reaching out with marriage ministry, then the company’s efforts will be enhanced and more likely to succeed.The same story could be told for the churches, the school system, and the court system.
The road “west” for the Marriage CoMission will be a learning experience for all of us.Relationships will be challenged, conflicts will emerge, competing interests will collide.Yet, is there a better choice than our working together in winning America’s heart for marriage and putting the family back on the road to wholeness?I don’t believe so.Often marriages grow just because there are no good alternatives and the couple settles in to making it work.Let’s problem solve all along this journey we are on, keeping our purpose in mind, and seeking ways to make the Marriage CoMission Campaign a success.
