The Church’s Role in Restoring the Foundation of Family
Restoring What Is Broken
A Monthly Publication of the Church Ambassador Network
There is a quiet weight that many of you carry as you stand before your congregations each week. You see the empty chairs where a family used to sit before a divorce; you hear the hushed prayer requests for a son or daughter struggling to find their way; and you feel the relational and cultural tremors that seem to shake the very ground your members walk on.
Recently, Center for Christian Virtue (CCV) released the 2026 Family Structure Index (FSI), and the findings are a sobering call to prayer and action. The report reveals that Ohio currently ranks 30th in the nation for family stability. More than 4 in 10 children in our great state are being raised in homes without the stability of married parents, and our marriage rates continue to sit below the national average.
As pastors, you know these aren’t just statistics; they are souls, and when the family fractures, the heartbeat of the community skips a beat.
The Heart of the Issue
The implications of a broken family structure reach far beyond the home. In Ohio, CCV’s research has uncovered a devastating correlation: roughly 89 percent of women seeking abortions in our state were unmarried. It is becoming increasingly clear that we cannot address the "symptoms" of our cultural decay—abortion, poverty, or the mental health crisis—without first restoring the biblical foundation of marriage.
In the midst of this, however, there is a profound reason for hope. Throughout history, whenever the culture has faltered, the Church has been the restorative force. During the First Great Awakening, the great theologian Jonathan Edwards understood that the health of the nation was tied to the health of the home. He famously wrote:
"Every Christian family ought to be as it were a little church, consecrated to Christ, and wholly influenced and governed by his rules. And family education and order are some of the chief means of grace. If these fail, all other means are likely to prove ineffectual."
—Jonathan Edwards, On the Family and Grace
Courage in the Public Square
We must also have the courage to speak truth to our leaders. The 2026 Index shows a clear "Great American Family Sort," where states that prioritize faith and family-friendly policies are seeing families thrive and migrate toward them (Institute for Family Studies, 2026). We must advocate for policies in Ohio that eliminate marriage penalties and celebrate the "Success Sequence"—finishing school, getting a job, and marrying before having children.
As we move forward, let us remember that we serve a God of restoration. He is the one who "sets the solitary in families" (Psalm 68:6). Let us be a Church that doesn't just lament the decline of the family but leads the way in its renewal. The Church remains the "hope of the world." We are not merely a social club or a weekly gathering; we are the primary vehicle through which God’s restorative grace enters the world
A Partnership for Restoration
Recognizing the urgency of this moment, the Church Ambassador Network (CAN) has partnered with Communio to bring you the tools needed to turn the tide. This initiative moves beyond generic programs, offering your church a data-informed strategy to reach the "quietly struggling" couples in your community before they reach a breaking point.
As Chris Lightfoot, Executive Director of the Church Ambassador Network, recently shared:
"I am incredibly excited about our partnership with Communio because it provides our Ohio churches with a roadmap to become the relationship restoration solution for their communities. When the Church helps a family find healing and restoration, it creates a powerful on-ramp for the Gospel that can transform generations."
Standing on the Promises
Scripture tells us in Psalm 127:1, "Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain." As you lead your people, remember that you are not building on sinking sand. You are calling them back to the original design of a Creator who loves them. By focusing on the "little church" of the family, we aren't just improving statistics—we are participating in the redemptive work of Christ.
3 Practical Steps for the Ohio Pastor
Audit Your Outreach: Evaluate your current ministries. Are you spending 90 percent of your energy on crisis management and only 10 percent on building healthy foundations? Consider shifting resources toward proactive relationship skills.
Move from Reactive to Proactive: Evaluate your current marriage ministry. Instead of waiting for couples to seek crisis counseling, work with Communio to implement a proactive "Full-Circle Relationship Ministry" that engages people at every stage of their relational journey.
Engage Your Local Leaders: Review the Family Structure Index to understand the specific challenges facing families in our state. Use these insights as a conversation starter with local officials. Pastors are uniquely positioned to show leaders that the Church is the most effective partner in solving the "root causes" of community instability.
Join the Movement
The Church Ambassador Network is a ministry of Center for Christian Virtue. They exist to serve and resource the Church in Ohio to understand the times and know how to respond. Read more about their mission at CCV.org/CAN
