BY  : Leah MarieAnn Klett, Entertainment Editor

That’s according to Jimmy Evans, the founder of the Dallas, Texas-based ministry XO Marriage, who, with his wife, Karen, has spent over three decades helping couples navigate conflict. A generation raised amid divorce, relationship instability and cultural confusion about commitment, he told The Christian Post, is approaching marriage with unprecedented hesitation.

“Part of the problem is a lot of the Church just simply isn’t interested in marriage,” Evans, apostolic elder at Trinity Fellowship Church in Amarillo, Texas, and author of Marriage on the Rock, The Four Laws of Love and Strengths Based Marriage, said, citing statistics revealing that 85% of churches allocate no budget to marriage ministry.

“Many pastors don’t speak on the subject of marriage, or if they do, they don’t speak with authority from the scriptures in a manner that really equips people to be married.”

The comments come as the ministry enters a new chapter. Evans, who launched the ministry more than three decades ago, is handing leadership to Jimmy Witcher, a longtime board member, pastor and friend of 30 years. At the same time, the ministry is expanding its reach by making its digital marriage courses available free of charge, a move leaders hope will help churches address what they see as a growing marriage crisis.

For both men, the challenges facing marriages today are markedly different from those that existed when the ministry began.

“There are so many things that are different today,” Witcher, pastor of the multi-campus Trinity Fellowship Church, told CP. “You’ve certainly got all the technology, cell phones. How many times have you gone into a restaurant and you look around at other couples, and everybody’s just sitting there together with their phones in front of them?”

He also pointed to the widespread accessibility of pornography and a broader cultural shift in attitudes toward marriage: “All of those are factors putting pressure on marriages,” he said.

The concerns come amid declining marriage rates in the United States. The Evangelical research organization Barna Group noted in a 2025 report that while U.S. Census Bureau data showed that about two-thirds of U.S. adults were married in 1950, fewer than half are married today (46% according to Barna data).

“We believe that God created us for marriage,” Evans, who also leads Tipping Point Ministries,  said. “The vast majority of people want to be married, but they’re just afraid of it. They’re afraid of it because they don’t understand it, and they see other people failing in marriage.”

That fear, the leaders said, is compounded by a lack of support within churches themselves. Witcher pointed to studies showing that a significant percentage of pastors report struggling in their own marriages.

“If you’re struggling in your own marriage, you’re not going to get up and preach on it,” he said.

He recalled preaching on marriage at a friend’s church last fall and being struck by the pastor’s response afterward.

“As he was taking me to the airport, I asked him what he was going to do the rest of the day, and he said, ‘I’m going to go home and work on my marriage,'” Witcher said. “It’s just a reality.”

For Evans, one of the most damaging misconceptions among Christians is the idea that successful marriages are built primarily on finding the right person. The ministry’s core message — that couples can thrive when they follow biblical principles — stands in contrast to a culture that often views marriage as disposable.

“I think one of the biggest myths right now is that you have to marry your soulmate,” he said. “Soulmates are forged, they’re not found. … One of the myths about marriage is you have this honeymoon phase and it gets worse. The truth is, when you’re married correctly, it gets better and better and better and better.”

Much of XO Marriage’s strategy centers on helping churches intervene before relationships reach a breaking point. Both men emphasized the importance of premarital preparation, marriage mentoring, small groups and ongoing discipleship, rather than waiting until couples face separation or divorce.

“What really bothered me was driving down the street and noticing these big signs in front of churches saying ‘divorce recovery,'” Evans, who began serving as a marriage counselor in 1982, said. “I think it’s great, and it’s important to help people who have been divorced, but the Church needs to get on the front end of the curve.”

Today, XO Marriage trains marriage mentors and counselors within local congregations and provides curriculum for churches seeking to build stronger marriage ministries. Witcher shared how he and his wife, Kim, were on the verge of divorce more than three decades ago before experiencing a dramatic restoration of their relationship.

“We were just about to get a divorce,” he said. “The Lord miraculously kind of saved our marriage, and then we began to rebuild from there.”

Looking back, he said one lesson stands above all others: marriage requires continual investment.

“I wish we knew we needed to be working on our marriage,” Witcher said. “I wish we had the resources that XO Marriage is presenting and producing now. We could have used that 32 years ago.”

That experience is one reason the organization is shifting its online resources to a free model, removing financial barriers for churches and couples seeking help. Looking ahead, Witcher said his vision is centered on strengthening local churches, equipping them to help build strong marriages within their congregations.

“Our real focus is to help the local Church,” he said. “We want to help be a solution in that area for every local church.”

The need, he added, becomes clear every year when members of his congregation submit anonymous prayer requests. Healthy marriages, he stressed, can flourish when churches are willing to invest in them.

“It’s uncanny,” he said. “About two-thirds have something about marriage. ‘Pray for my marriage.’ ‘Pray for my parents’ marriage.’ ‘I want to find a husband.’ ‘I want to find a wife.’ … The more of this you put into the life of the Church, the more you’re developing strong marriages.”

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