Ronny Marriott and Communio talk strengthening marriages, the community and the church through family ministry

Pastors and ministry leaders gathered for a reception Sunday evening at the Texas Baptists Annual Meeting to discuss how churches can strengthen family ministry, and ultimately the church, in partnership with Communio. 

The fireside chat took place between Ronny Marriott, pastor of First Baptist Richardson and president of Texas Baptists, and Matt Stevens of Communio. 

Communio is a nonprofit ministry that trains and equips churches to share the gospel through the renewal of healthy relationships, marriages and families. They partner with churches to design data-informed family ministry strategies tailored to a church’s unique people, goals and context. 

Marriott shares his experience with Communio

Marriott got connected with Communio just before the pandemic when pastoring at First Baptist Burleson, and later continued to partner with them at First Baptist Richardson. 

The goal was to meet the needs of both those in the church and the wider community by building stronger families and addressing challenges from a biblical perspective. 

“God made two institutions: the church and the family — both reflect our relationship with him. The breakdown of the family doesn’t just affect our church; it affects our communities,” said Marriott. 

Communio equipped Marriott and his church with data and resources to organize strategic outreach and inreach programs — virtual date nights during the pandemic, ballroom dancing lessons that greatly attracted people from the community, intergenerational mentorship between couples, financial and parenting classes to address some of the top causes of divorce and targeted outreach to families in crisis, to name a few examples.

“Communio is very hands-on, very accessible,” said Marriott. “They walk with you. They’re not just giving you resources but are really available. Their strategists would meet with us before the event and bring their wisdom and insight … They helped with the flow of the event. If we got into a jam, they would respond and come on site to help us understand.”

In addition to reaching the wider community, Communio also helps churches evaluate the state of marriages between couples already active in the church.

“We are trying to reach the community but don’t want to neglect the people already within our church,” said Marriott. “So it’s a resource for both evangelism and discipleship … and what I love is it’s not a cookie-cutter program. They customize to the church they’re working with.”

For pastors just learning about Communio and wondering if it could be a good fit for their church, Marriott gave some advice.

“Ask questions, talk to these guys. They are very approachable. Even if you don’t have any kind of family ministry, they can help you get something started that fits your church's needs. You don’t have to do it alone,” he said. “The divorce rate in the church is just as high as it is outside the church, so it’s not a hard sell to your church to say we want families and marriages to be stronger.”

To learn more about what Communio can do for your church and get started, visit communio.org.