Marriage & Family

A Symbol of God’s Sacred Union in Marriage

“Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.” | Ecclesiastes 4:12

Skyline Marriage Savers, under the direction of Dr. Don Welch, Ph.D., LMFT, welcomes you to an exciting ministry here at Skyline and invites you to share our vision for covenantal marriage and to make your marriage even stronger.

There are proven ways to give you “marriage insurance” by proper preparation before the wedding, learning skills that can strengthen existing marriages, and reconstructing even severely troubled ones.

Marriages in the United States continue to be under attack. America has the highest divorce rate in the civilized world. In 2014, there were 2,183,000 marriages and 1,156,000 divorces. That’s a 52.9% divorce rate. Many Younger Americans choose to live together before marriage; many of these couples never marry, and 75% of those who do marry will end in divorce.

Divorce and non-marriage not only affect the couple but also is devastating for the children involved. One-quarter of all adults, 18-35, have grown up in divorced families. There is hope. It is estimated that 80% of marriages in crisis, or having severe difficulties, can be restored.

Here at Skyline, we want to change these statistics by standing together to build more successful marriages. In Marriage Savers, we seek God’s help together and strive to accomplish this task in six areas.

For more information: Email the Counseling Admin at Counseling@SkylineChurch.org

Are you engaged to be married or just seriously dating and want to evaluate your relationship? The Prepare Enrich program has been used by millions of couples to give them the necessary tools every couple needs to navigate the numerous challenges of their relationship. Some of these tools include celebrating your differences, communication skills, and conflict resolution.

With our Individual Couple Mentoring program, you will be matched with a couple who has been trained in the Prepare Enrich program. You will meet with them for seven sessions in a private setting. The first step is to complete the Wedding Interview Information form, once complete your information will be passed to our Marriage Savers Team who will contact you and pair you with a trained and experienced couple who will walk you through an informative, non-threatening 7-12 session program.

Please note: If you plan on being married by a Skyline pastor or at Skyline Church, the Prepare Enrich program is required in addition to meeting with a pastor. If you are interested in our Premarital Couple Mentoring program, please call the Skyline Church Office at 619.660.5000 and ask for Counseling Admin. Be sure to call well in advance of the desired date so you have time to complete your Premarital Couple Mentoring and secure your very special date.

For more information Contact:

Dr. Jeanne Maiden | Individual Premarital Couple Mentoring
or email the Counseling Admin at Counseling@SkylineChurch.org

This ministry seeks to strengthen and enrich existing marriages, and does so through four primary ways:

(1) Periodic Marriage Conferences at Skyline Church
(2) An ongoing series called, My Therapist ‘Sez’, which is an interactive panel of trained therapists responding to your questions about important life topics. Dr. Don Welch, Skyline’s counseling pastor, moderates this event the first Tuesday of each month in the main auditorium from 6:45-8:00pm.
(3) Publicizing marriage strengthening conferences, weekends, and events in our communities, such as FamilyLife marriage conferences and Marriage Encounter.
(4) Staffing of teachers for classes for married couples.

For more information contact:

John & Donna Train

Sundays at 12:30 pm in the Gym or via Zoom

Do you need more out of your marriage? Does your marriage feel like a “business partnership” where the once loving feelings have dissipated?

Pastor Don Welch is offering a “2 Become One” church Connect class in a practically-based and slow-paced format. You’ll have the opportunity to apply useful relational skills, discuss important questions pertaining to your relationship, and potentially overcome roadblocks leading to a vibrant marriage.

• Skills for resolving problems to solutions
• Insights into fair fighting
• Resources to slaying the Goliath’s in your life
• Applications for setting healthy relationship boundaries
• Truths defining healthy marriages and families
• Tools for parenting the difficult moments
• Integrations of integrity-building skills

For more information contact: Karl Christensen kchristensen11805@gmail.com

This is a couple to couple mentoring ministry using the Enrich portion of the Prepare/Enrich program. These materials have been used by millions of couples to develop and share tools every couple needs to navigate the numerous challenges of their relationship. Some of these tools include communication skills and conflict resolution.

To be paired with a trained and experienced couple who can walk you through an informative, non-threatening 9-12 session program, please contact the Counseling Admin.

For more information, email the Counseling Admin at Counseling@SkylineChurch.org

The stepfamily ministry-headed by professional therapist Donna Dennis McBeth and her husband, Allen, seeks to assist those couples who will be forming a stepfamily in their coming marriage; or who are already in a stepfamily marriage relationship.

Skyline recognizes that stepfamily marriages fail at about the 70% rate, but that appropriate intervention with such couples can save 80% of them.

For more information contact:

Allen & Donna McBeth,
Community Counseling Services
or email the Counseling Admin at Counseling@SkylineChurch.org

Most people will tell you that separation and divorce are the most painful and stressful experiences they’ve ever faced. It’s a confusing time when you feel isolated and have lots of questions about issues you’ve never faced before.  Don’t go through it alone.  DivorceCare is a friendly, caring group of people who will walk alongside you through one of life’s most difficult experiences.

For more info contact:

Renee Eller-Hendrix

Since the inception of this marriage ministry we have recognized the power and essential nature of prayer, for both those ministering to and for our couples receiving prayer.

While many Skyliners write regular prayer requests via the worship services Communication Card, including for marriage relationships, the Marriage Ministry Prayer Team focuses on praying for those in this ministry and those receiving help specifically. This prayer team is headed by Kirk and Carolyn Lewis.

For more information contact: