Relationships are struggling.

In our world today, relationships are struggling. More and more people are wrestling with the relationships they are in and the culture surrounding them offers little help by way of examples or models of healthy friendships, marriages, or family relationships. Consider the following numbers:

• Marriage rates of Americans sank to a 93-year low, of 50.3% in 2013 
• More than 40% of all children born in the U.S. are born outside of marriage in 2013
• Also in 2013, 38% of women and 39% of men agreed with the statement "Divorce is usually the best solution when a couple can't seem to work through their marriage options."
• An estimated 24.7 million children in the U.S. live absent of their biological father in their life, whether the father is alive or not
• Anxiety disorders are the most common mental illness in the U.S., affecting 40 million adults. Only 36.9% of those who suffer seek treatment

The Center for Marriage and Relationships wants to help make a change to these numbers.

The mission of the Biola University Center for Marriage and Relationships is to build and sustain healthy relationships and marriages, in the church and the broader culture by combining the timeless, cross-cultural wisdom of scripture with scholarly research, insights, and tools. 

The Center is committed to providing:

• insights into relationships and marriages firmly grounded in scripture and supported by scholarly research in psychology and communication theory
• resources that are practical to anyone seeking a healthy relationship or marriage, information that will impact their relationships immediately
• training resources for those looking to be influencers, mentors, leaders in the area of marriage and relationships
• consistent discussion on relational topics and family dynamics as the world we live in continues to shift and change

Who are we reaching out to?

We are making an effort to impact the lives of people who are searching for ways to grow in relationships. We have been building relationships with:

• Current students and young alumni from colleges and universities across the United States
• Engaged and newly married couples
• Faculty, scholars, and thinkers in the areas of relationships and marriages
• Pastors, ministry leaders, and church members interested in strengthening marriages, relationships, and families
• Local ethnic populations in Southern California