THE GREAT MARRIAGE EXPERIENCE - Squarespace GREAT MARRIAGE EXPERIENCE For Churches By Dr. Gary & Barb Rosberg The Great Marriage Experience is an interactive, dynamic and on‐ going

THE GREAT MARRIAGE EXPERIENCE

For Churches By Dr. Gary & Barb Rosberg

The Great Marriage Experience is an interactive, dynamic and on‐going program designed to equip church leaders to build and strengthen Godly marriages in their churches. From assessment and coaching to long‐term maintenance, The Great Marriage Experience provides churches with a solution to the roller coaster of “mountain top” experiences. By following the components outlined in this document, your church can start the journey toward a lifetime of great marriages! As a pastor or church leader you have a deep desire to bring hope, encouragement and tools to the marriages in your church. You may sense a "low level fever" in many of the marriages in your church community; marriages that likely will stay together but you have a sense in your spirit and experience that they may not be experiencing all that God created for them in marriage. You dream about seeing God's institution of marriage lifted up and strong families and relationships overflowing from committed husbands and wives that stand for marriage. The Great Marriage Experience church plan may be just what you are looking for to come alongside YOU as a leader to equip you with a map for the journey of great marriages and families!

The Great Marriage Experience

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www.americasfamilycoaches.com

HOW TO USE THIS DOCUMENT Thank you for your interest in learning more about The Great Marriage Experience. Barb and I have

devoted our ministry to “championing marriage for the cause of Christ by coaching husbands and wives to

experience a great marriage for a lifetime…and for the sake of the next generation.” We love coming

alongside churches to lift up your arms and offer you support and encouragement in your marriage ministry

efforts. We truly want the couples in your church to have great marriages. We want the families in your

church to be strong.

Having served families for decades, likely just like you, we have learned from listening to what couples

need: both by their expression and by what we have observed. We know that behind the four walls of

every home is where, as Chuck Swindoll says, "life makes up its mind.” Marriages and families are either

lifted up by the local church and small groups or they likely will put these primary relationships on the back

burner of their lives and give into the temptation as they let these vital relationships drift. We have come

alongside churches for years and in many ways believe that we have cracked the code of what equips

churches and groups to not only know "what to do" and "how to do it" but also learn the "why" behind the

passion you as a leader carry in your spirit and heart the desire to see the health of your families go from

so‐so or even good, to great!

Detailed in this document is a road map to make this journey happen for your church using a step‐by‐step

proven game plan of training the couples in your church to champion marriage and lead effective small

groups where couples can apply the Biblical principles taught through the easy‐to‐understand 6 Secrets to a

Lasting Love.

We have learned that some churches want to see a process ‘described’ to them so they can use it as they

wish, while others want a ‘prescribed’ road map. The Great Marriage Experience is flexible enough for you

to take various pieces and mix and match on your own, or go start to finish as prescribed here to

implement a culture of great marriages throughout your church. We recommend that you go through step‐

by‐step starting at the beginning and complete each in order for maximum effectiveness in your marriage

ministry program.

Our team at America’s Family Coaches is available to help with anything you need and we have a dedicated

professional ready to serve Marriage Champions and make sure your small groups are strong. Please don’t

hesitate to contact us when you have a need.

Guard your heart,

Gary and Barb Rosberg


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Contents

1. Marriage Champion Training

2. Church‐wide Rosberg Marital Assessment Program (RMAP)

3. Catalytic Event

4. Sermon Series

5. Small Groups

6. Covenant Signing

7. Pre‐Marital Counseling Champions

8. Next Steps


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STEP 1: MARRIAGE CHAMPION TRAINING

Frequently, pastors don't have extra time to initiate a program or study, yet there are those who are equipped

and willing to exercise hospitality within the congregation. Identify those couples as Marriage Champions, who

are willing to carry the torch and host a small group study!

Couples who have been impacted by Dr. Gary & Barb Rosberg’s ministry and have learned the 6 Secrets to a

Lasting Love can multiply the message by becoming Marriage Champions. It is our desire to mobilize couples to

coach other couples, and it is as simple as hosting a small group using the 6 Secrets and accompanying material.

Church leaders and couples who decide to become Marriage Champions will be equipped by Gary Rosberg

through a Marriage Champion Training event, where they learn how to share what they have learned with

others.

In the year 2000 God revealed to Gary and Barb six non‐negotiable ways that Jesus loves you and me from Paul's

teaching in the book of Philippians. As they began to unpack these relationship principles and applied them to

the marriage relationship they soon realized that these "six secrets" were life changing and worked in helping

couples identify not only their strengths in their marriages but also the areas that needed sharpening and skill

acquisition. Over the last 14 years the Rosbergs have seen countless couples, small groups and churches

worldwide adopt these 6 secrets and taking a grace filled stand for biblical marriages in their churches and

groups.

The Marriage Champion Training event will walk through this history of the 6 Secrets to a Lasting Love and

teaching from Philippians 2. Then Gary will break down the 6 Secrets into specific resources that can be used to

strengthen areas in need of improvement within the church.

Marriage Champions are the core of effectively taking your vision as a church leader and putting "boots on the

ground.” Marriage Champions are couples that take their own love and passion for God and marriage and bring

their imperfect experiences to the marriages in your church to equip them with proven strategies leading to


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heart changes and strong marriages. At the training event Gary will explain what it means to be a Marriage

Champion, how to do it effectively, and the support available to Marriage Champions from America’s Family

Coaches.

Our goal is to assist your church and lessen the burden of doing all the training yourself, freeing you up to focus

on ministry. Our further goal is to unleash in the hearts of your Marriage Champions the opportunity to not only

learn and integrate these six secrets in their own marriages and families strengthening their marriages and those

of their legacy going down into the next generations but launch them to share from their hearts God's plan for

great marriages using our resources as we stand behind you as the leader of your church.

For couples that desire additional training, there is also an

opportunity to become Credentialed Christian Life (and

Marriage) Coaches through a partnership with America’s Family

Coaches and the International Christian Coaching Association.

Barb has recently been credentialed by the ICCA as a Master Life

and Marriage Coach. Gary has been trained as an Advanced Life

and Marriage Coach. The Rosbergs encourage you to visit our website to learn more about being credentialed as

life and marriage coaches through our partnership with AFC and ICCA. This training will equip you to go to the

second and multiple levels of coaching couples in premarital and marriage coaching using the Rosberg's

resources.

For more details, including costs, or to schedule a Marriage Champion Training for your church, contact

America’s Family Coaches. For more information on being credentialed as a life and marriage coach gather more

information at the Marriage Champion page of the AFC website.


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STEP 2: ROSBERG MARITAL ASSESSMENT PROGRAM (RMAP) Once your Marriage Champions are trained and ready, the next step in The Great Marriage Experience is for you

to answer the following question “What are the strengths and weaknesses of the marriage relationships within

our church?”

The Rosberg Marital Assessment Program will provide your church with a clear vision of next steps, mapping out

areas of need in developing and maintaining the 6 Secrets to a Lasting Love.

Dr. Gary & Barb Rosberg have created an online assessment that asks questions in a step‐by‐step format to

gauge where each couple is in their relationship. After completing the assessment, couples can begin their

lifelong journey to obtain a marriage that is real and will last. As a church, you will receive an aggregate report of

the state of marital health in your congregation. Couples can receive their individual results as well, for a small

fee.

We suggest that all couples attending Step 1 Marriage Champion Training take the RMAP prior to the training

event so that Gary can interpret the RMAP aggregate for the couples during the training.

For more details, cost information, or to begin the RMAP process for your church, contact America’s

Family Coaches.


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STEP 3: CATALYTIC EVENT Marriage Conferences are catalytic events that can springboard the couples in your church in the right direction,

toward healthy and godly marriages. Dr. Gary & Barb Rosberg are excellent, world‐renowned communicators

and teachers who can bring Biblical truth about God’s plan for marriage and speak directly to the hearts of

couples. Our catalytic events are either in the format of a one‐night Date Night or The Great Marriage

Experience weekend conference.

Through an event hosted at your church, couples can have fun together learning how to make their marriage

better. This boost to your couples is the perfect starting point before a church‐wide focus on relationships or to

kick‐off small groups.

Gary and Barb focus on The 6 Secrets to a Lasting Love during The Great Marriage Experience live event. The

event is enhanced when couples that register also take an RMAP with results provided to AFC to become part of

an aggregate of the local events guests for the Rosbergs to interpret during the live event. They can also host a

Date Night event leading couples through the process of dating intentionally. Their program Date with a Purpose

is followed up using a mobile app and couples can date each week for a month using their phones as a guide.

For more details or to schedule an event with the Rosbergs, contact America’s Family Coaches.


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STEP 4: SERMON SERIES Immediately following the catalytic event is the ideal time to begin a sermon series reinforcing the relationship‐

building principles. Sermon series outlines are simple to follow and easily adaptable and have been developed

by pastors who have successfully implemented The Great Marriage Experience and have seen a decrease in

divorces and marital problems in their churches.

We encourage Pastors to make marriage and healthy/godly relationships a church‐wide focus. That means

preaching about God’s plan for marriage and relationships and talking about the biblical principles of

forgiveness, service, and all of the other 6 Secrets to a Lasting Love. You can use our sermon series outlines or

create your own but we feel it is important for couples and families within the church to see the commitment to

growing strong families from the Pastor directly. We suggest a minimum of 2 sermons commencing the

weekend of the live event and up to 4‐6 sermons reinforcing from the pulpit the importance of strong marriages

and relationships in the local church.

For more information about the sermon series, contact America’s Family Coaches.


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STEP 5: SMALL GROUPS

The ideal time to launch small groups is alongside the sermon series and immediately after

the catalytic event. The groups can be hosted by the already trained Marriage Champions

from your church. Developing church‐wide small groups to cover the seven‐session DVD

introducing all six of the Secrets is the recommended place to start.

The first DVD study will guide couples through the 6 Secrets to a Lasting Love with

discussion opportunities and group questions. The kit can be used in one‐on‐one

mentoring sessions or a small group study and is a resource guaranteed to strengthen and

enhance your marriage ministry.

There are a number of follow‐up small group studies that can be implemented at a later time to deepen areas of

connection for couples within each of the 6 Secrets. Here are some of the other small group materials offered by

America’s Family Coaches:

The 5 Sex Needs of Men & Women

With appropriate sensitivity, the Rosbergs present The 5 Sex Needs of Men & Women message

to a live audience. They discuss topics such as mutual satisfaction, affirmation, connections,

barriers and much more! This 12‐session study is ideal for couples, Bible Study groups or

marriage retreats.

The 5 Love Needs of Men & Women and Serving Love

This 2001 Gold Medallion finalist reveals surprising research about the top five love needs of your

spouse. This book will help couples understand their mate and inspire them to a new level of love.

When coupled with the Serving Love workbook, this book becomes a fantastic small group resource.

Marriage 101

The most innovative resource in the area of premarital coaching and marital

enrichment is here! This versatile resource should be a primary tool for your

marriage ministry. Eight dynamic and interactive sessions cover the most crucial

issues facing couples today – communication, money, sex, conflict resolution,

spiritual unity and much more! This resource is available as both an online training

course and a traditional DVD Study.

Family 101

From the producers of Marriage 101, Family 101 takes the 44 “One Another” verses from the

New testament and helps your families apply them to their daily lives. Dr. Gary and Barb take

these powerful Biblical principles and uniquely apply them to family dynamics. Join the

Rosbergs and the nationally acclaimed “Skit Guys” on the adventure of a lifetime!

To order resources or for more information on any of these studies contact America’s Family Coaches.


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STEP 6: COVENANT SIGNING

At the culmination of The 6 Secrets to a Lasting Love study, couples from the small groups and their families and

friends come together to worship, celebrate and sign a covenant as a commitment to Christ for a biblical

marriage. This life‐changing moment in your church’s history allows husbands and wives to renew their vows,

promising to integrate the biblical 6 Secrets into their relationship.

Copies of Marriage Covenants, painted by the well‐known Christian artist Timothy Botts, are provided for each

couple to sign and display in their homes as well as a church‐wide group covenant to be displayed in the church.

Many churches have a large reception afterward complete with wedding cake!

For more information about the Covenant Service or to order Covenants, contact America’s Family Coaches.


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PRE-MARITAL COUNSELING MARRIAGE CHAMPIONS An area that many churches choose to focus on is Marriage Champion training for the church’s pre‐marital

counseling program. Trained couples can come alongside the church in leading the marriage counseling with a

couple wanting to get married. The Marriage Champion couple can be trained during the Marriage Champion

Training Event with Gary Rosberg and can use the Marriage 101 resource to lead couples through the pre‐

marital program.

The America’s Family Coaches partnership with the International Christian Coaches Association is also available

for these couples who would like to be certified as Life (and Marriage) Coaches.

For more information about pre‐marital counseling Marriage Champions, contact America’s Family Coaches.


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NOW WHAT?

Barb and I have given over 25 years of our lives to coaching, equipping and encouraging marriages and leaders

on how to have great marriages. We believe that God's first institution of marriage is at the heart of His plan not

only for relationships and the Church but for our civilization. As families go, civilizations go.

As leaders of the church we know that your passion is to not only have a great marriage for yourselves and those

of your own legacy but also to see the families of your church and small groups strengthened. We also both

know that is not going to happen by putting these vital relationships on "automatic pilot" and just pointing them

in the right direction. God reveals life changing and life giving relationship principles in His word. The book of

Philippians is not a "marriage passage" but it is a relationship passage. We also know that as God has given us

His word and that just like you, Barb and me submit to His truth of the Scripture. The Holy Spirit also equips your

marriages and families to unleash the Truth God reveals to them to help learn "how" to have great marriages

and relationships bringing to bear their own life stories into this teaching of The Great Marriage Experience.

Barb and I have learned over the years to not just teach, but to encourage our listeners to "catch" what affirms

them in their spirits and hearts. To catch the vision of taking their own marriages from good to great and then to

pass that vision and map onto others that want the same. Not perfect marriages…but marriages moving toward

greatness.

Let us join you and partner with you as a leader to lift up your arms, give you a map, equip you and then step

aside as you instill this vision of great marriages and families in your church. We only know how to do one thing

and God has given us life and breath for it. Let us serve you and see great marriages experienced by those you

love.

Yours for great marriages,

Dr. Gary and Barb Rosberg


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NEXT STEPS There are several next steps that can be taken once a church has completed the first 6 steps of The Great

Marriage Experience. For more information on any of these, contact America’s Family Coaches.

‐ Additional Live Events with the Rosbergs

‐ America’s Family Coaches can recommend additional speakers to you

‐ Continuing small groups using Rosberg resources

‐ America’s Family Coaches can recommend additional resources by other authors that follow the

principles of the 6 Secrets to a Lasting Love

‐ Assessment of counseling needs for your church


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Rosberg Resources: 6 Secrets to a Lasting Love : The 5 Love Needs of Men & Women : The 5 Sex Needs of Men & Women : Healing the Hurt in Your

Marriage : Improving Communication In Your Marriage : 40 Unforgettable Dates with Your Mate : Guard Your Heart‐Men’s

Edition : Renewing Your Love : The Great Marriage Q&A Book : Connecting with Your Wife :

Marriage 101 & Family 101: Back to the Basics


America’s Family Coaches ● 160 S 68th Street ● Suite 1212 ● West Des Moines, IA 50266 ● 888.608.COACH

DR. GARY & BARB ROSBERG Dr. Gary & Barb Rosberg are sought‐after executive life and marriage coaches, award‐winning authors, popular radio hosts and beloved international marriage conference speakers. Together, the Rosbergs are co‐founders of the international ministry, America’s Family Coaches and directly address the needs of marriages today with remarkable insight and biblical truth; in addition to serving marriages through America’s Family Coaches, they also provide one‐on‐one executive life and marriage coaching through The Rosberg Group. Gary and Barb have written over a dozen prominent marriage and family resources and DVD series with almost 1 million total copies in print world‐wide; including the 6 Secrets to a Lasting Love (Gold Medallion winner under the title Divorce‐Proof Your Marriage) and The 5 Love Needs of Men & Women, a Gold Medallion finalist. Selected books are available in over twelve different languages with six titles in Spanish. Gary’s newest book is Guard Your Heart Men’s Edition which speaks directly to men on how to guard against the threats in their life and marriage.

The Rosbergs have conducted conferences on marriage and family relationships nationally and internationally for over twenty‐five years. Their flagship conferences, part of The Great Marriage Experience, are impacting couples, churches and communities worldwide. In addition, the Rosbergs have been featured speakers for LifeWay, Focus on the Family, FamilyLife and many other events for several years. Gary has also spoken to hundreds of thousands of men at Promise Keepers. Since 2006 the Rosbergs have been on a mission to strengthen military families across this nation. Whether deployed or stateside, the Rosbergs offer hope, encouragement and practical coaching for military marriages through programming and other events, as well as free marriage resources to help them grow and stay connected. They also have a special ministry aimed directly at helping wounded warriors reestablish the marriage connection with the reality of their injuries.

In 2012, Barb’s heart was moved while on a ministry trip to South Africa. She literally gave the necklace off of her own neck to a woman taking care of AIDS orphans. A vision was birthed to create a beautiful story‐telling necklace for other women in South Africa so they can teach godly relationship principles to the next generation. A Woman’s Legacy was born and Barb passionately works to continue distributing necklaces during their yearly returns.

Gary and Barb met at Drake University where Barb earned her B.F.A. and Gary earned his doctorate in counseling (Ed. D.). Following graduation, Gary conducted over 25,000 hours of marriage and family counseling. Today, they are credentialed Life and Marriage Coaches through Light University and coach couples and families. Married since 1975, Gary and Barb have two adult daughters and seven grandchildren.

Documents

THE GREAT MARRIAGE EXPERIENCE - Squarespace GREAT MARRIAGE EXPERIENCE For Churches By Dr. Gary & Barb Rosberg The Great Marriage Experience is an interactive, dynamic and on‐ going