What Ohio Pastors Can Learn from the Mormon Example
Building a Marriage Culture
As pastors in Ohio, you are no strangers to the challenges facing the modern family. We see it in our pews and our neighborhoods: marriage rates are at historic lows, birth rates are plummeting, and many young adults have stopped viewing family as a primary life goal.
According to the 2025 Family Structure Index released by the Center for Christian Virtue (CCV) and the Institute for Family Studies, Ohio currently ranks #29 in family strength. This ranking is based on critical metrics like the percentage of married adults and the number of children raised in intact, married homes.
But while many are struggling, one group is notably thriving. Utah ranks #1 in the nation by a wide margin. In Utah, the majority of adults are married and raise their children through high school in stable homes, figures far exceeding the national average. And what is driving this success? In large part, it is the culture created by the Mormon Church.
As we seek to reclaim a culture of marriage that is good, true, and beautiful, we should ask: What can Protestant churches in Ohio learn from the Latter-day Saints (LDS) model about fostering family formation?
Capstone or Cornerstone?
One of the most striking differences between Evangelical and Mormon young adults is their expectation regarding marriage timing and priority.
The LDS Model: From a young age, LDS youth are taught that marriage and parenthood are central to God’s plan. By their early twenties, they often join Young Single Adult (YSA) wards, which act as “incubators” for marriage. These wards are not just social clubs; they are communities where marriage is celebrated as a communal expectation rather than just a personal choice.
The Protestant Challenge: While we affirm marriage, we often fail to provide the same level of intentionality for 20-somethings navigating the transition to adulthood. The result is a church culture that often unintentionally mirrors the secular trend of delaying marriage. W. Bradford Wilcox, a leading sociologist and director of the National Marriage Project, has frequently pointed to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) as a successful model for fostering stable and happy families. Wilcox argues that modern society and many protestant churches today view marriage as a “capstone,” a reward to be achieved only after educational and career goals are met. In contrast, LDS culture treats marriage as a “cornerstone” and foundation for a meaningful life.
As the late Charles Spurgeon once said, “The house of God is the best place for the formation of the best friendships.” If we want our young people to marry, we must provide the social and spiritual infrastructure that makes marriage feel like a natural, celebrated next step rather than a distant, intimidating goal.
Solving the Roadblocks: Financial Anxiety vs. Practical Support
Many young adults in our churches today express a deep-seated financial anxiety that keeps them from the altar.
The LDS Support System: The Mormon Church provides concrete institutional support to make family formation feasible. This includes the Perpetual Education Fund, which helps young adults avoid excessive student debt, one of the primary reasons Gen Z delays marriage. They also offer housing support for newlyweds and career mentorship.
The Protestant Gap: Protestant churches often focus on moral teachings about purity but sometimes fail to provide the practical resources needed to sustain a young household. This leaves many young adults feeling they must choose between financial stability and following God’s design for the family.
We must remember the exhortation in 1 Timothy 5:8: “But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.” While we focus on the individual household, we can also think communally about how our churches can help “lower the barrier to entry” for marriage.
Recovering a Multi-Generational Vision
Finally, we must counter the individualism that has seeped into our pews.
Mormon Intergenerational Ties: LDS families often start young and live in close proximity, creating a strong network where older generations actively mentor and support young couples, and where grandchildren and great-grandchildren have the privilege of being poured into by older generations.
Protestant Individualistic Approach: Too often, our young people delay marriage for all the “right” reasons and move away for college or careers, weakening intergenerational bonds and making marriage formation more difficult. If we encouraged family formation at younger ages, stronger family networks, and multi-generational mentorship, we could help young people feel more confident in stepping into marriage.
As the theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote while reflecting on the weight of the home: “Marriage is more than your love for each other. It has a higher dignity and power... In your love you see only your two selves in the world, but in marriage you are a link in the chain of the generations.” If we want our young people to marry, we must provide the social and spiritual infrastructure that makes them feel like part of that vital chain.
A Path Forward for Ohio
None of this requires us to adopt LDS theology, but it does invite us to examine our practice. We must build the cultural and practical frameworks that make marriage a lived reality for the next generation and promote it as good, true, and beautiful to our communities.
