Celebrating 30 Years
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.”
“Our mission is to equip churches to share God’s comfort with those who’ve experienced painful, life altering events.”
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.
Meeting A Need
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 to share the comfort of Christ with those who’ve experienced a life crisis.
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.
“Our mission is to equip churches to share God’s comfort with those who’ve experienced painful, life altering events. And we are grateful for the feedback we receive from our leaders and participants about the effectiveness of our materials. People are healing from grief, recovering from the pain of divorce through our Christ-centered DivorceCare and GriefShare programs”, said Sam Hodges, President of Church Initiative.
“2 Corinthians 1 tells us that we receive God’s comfort so that we can comfort others with the comfort we’ve received.”
Church Initiative 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).
Every week, we hear stories of restored marriages, rediscovered purpose, forgiveness, people finding hope and comfort in the Lord, and—best of all—people coming to know Christ, said Hodges.
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.
Equipping Churches To Offer God's Comfort
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 exploring and expanding its resource library and encouraging and equipping former group participants to serve on GriefShare and DivorceCare ministry teams. .
“2 Corinthians 1 tells us that we receive God’s comfort so that we can comfort others with the comfort we’ve received. Steve and Cheryl did that after they recovered from their divorces and look at the fruit that came from it,” said Hodges. “We want others to know the joy of allowing their suffering to be used for God’s glory. Currently, thirty percent of all new GriefShare and DivorceCare groups are started by former participants. And we want to see that percentage increase.”
Reflecting on 30 years of fruitful ministry, founder Steve Grissom is grateful for the past and looking toward the future.
“The thrill of my lifetime is 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, Joni Eareckson Tada, and more.
