Ministry marks 30 years of partnering with churches to offer a Christ-centered approach to divorce recovery

Church Initiative addresses the emotional and spiritual trauma of divorce as rates rise and stigma fades through DivorceCare

WAKE FOREST, N.C. — Church Initiative, a trusted publisher of Christian content and curriculum, celebrates the 30-year anniversary of its widely used curriculum, DivorceCare. A Christ-centered recovery program, DivorceCare has helped over 1 million people worldwide heal from trauma and rebuild their lives after divorce or separation. 

“Cheryl and I began our ministry from a point of deep pain after walking through incredibly hurtful divorces,” said Steve Grissom, founder of Church Initiative. “When we started, our vision was scary, but it was small. The Lord has done so much and it’s important that we tell the story but also set the stage for what is yet to happen.”  

Pew Research shows that while divorce rates have decreased slightly in younger demographics since the late 1990s, they have increased for those over 40. Further, divorce rates nearly doubled over the last 35 years for people over 50, a trend known as “gray divorce.” Today, fewer people are remarrying after divorce and consider their experience to be a traumatic event. Among practicing Christians who have ever been married, 33% have also experienced a divorce, compared to 39% of all adults, according to a Barna Research study. 

Since 1993, Church Initiative has been a leading developer of Christ-centered content, serving over 30,000 churches worldwide. The ministry’s sole purpose is to equip, support and mobilize churches as they seek to meet needs and make impactful connections for the Gospel in their own local communities.  

Recognizing a great need in society, founders Steve and Cheryl Grissom launched DivorceCare in 1994 to bring hope and healing to a hurting demographic through innovative, lay-led support groups. Today, DivorceCare is widely recognized as the No. 1 post-separation recovery program globally, having been adopted by more than 50,000 lay leaders who have facilitated the program to hundreds of thousands of people. 

“Every week, we receive testimonies from people who tell us that they were thinking of committing suicide, that their marriage has been restored or that they have hope and purpose now,” said Sam Hodges, president of Church Initiative. “This is definitely a work of the body of Christ.” 

Church Initiative also launched GriefShare in 1998, an in-person and online support group focused on helping grieving people navigate the universal need of loss and grief. Later, the ministry established two additional programs which are now offered for free, DivorceCare for Kids (2004) and Single & Parenting (2011). 

“2 Corinthians talks about this idea that we receive God’s comfort so that we can comfort others with the same comfort that we have received,” said Hodges. “That’s been a foundational verse of the ministry. It really is the story of Steve and Cheryl’s lives.” 

The ministry continues to seek ways to make an international impact with its resources. GriefShare is readily available in countries such as Uganda, Canada and Australia. In January, Church Initiative will launch a Spanish version of GriefShare, which is expected to reach thousands of participants by the end of 2025.  

Throughout its history, Church Initiative has remained committed to its central goal of equipping churches to effectively minister to those experiencing life altering events. Today, Church Initiative is focused on pursuing innovation and creativity, continually exploring ways to expand its resource library and meet the evolving needs of today’s generation.  

“The thrill of my lifetime is seeing what the Lord had planned—seeing people who are healed from their grief and who are healed from their divorce. That was the original vision,” said Grissom. “The most significant thing is how the Lord has used this ministry to touch the lives of so many people and how it feels at this moment like we’re only getting started.” 

Church Initiative programs feature contributions from more than 100 respected pastors, counselors, authors and speakers, including Larry Crabb, Paul David Tripp, H. Norman Wright, Nancy Guthrie, Linda Mintle and more. 

To learn more about the 30-year anniversary of DivorceCare, visit https://landing.churchinitiative.org/30years. For more information about Church Initiative, visit www.churchinitiative.org/.  

### 

About Church Initiative 

Established in 1993, Church Initiative is a trusted publisher of Christian-based support content and curriculum focused on equipping the church and its lay leaders to minister to people facing major life disruptions. The ministry’s healing programs, which have been adopted by over 30,000 churches worldwide, consists of DivorceCare, GriefShare, DivorceCare for Kids and Single & Parenting.  

Contact:
Kristin Cole
Church Initiative
615-289-6701
kristin@kccommunications.co

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of RNS or Religion News Foundation.