Our Mission

Communio serves and equips churches and communities to build out proven, data-informed strategies that strengthen families, marriages, and faith.

Who We Are

Communio is a faith-based nonprofit organization that consults with churches to equip them with 21st century tools of predictive analytics, digital outreach, and relationship ministry best practices. Our goal is to empower churches to become community change agents that can strengthen marriages and families at scale.

Our Vision

Our vision is for a nation where every church fosters strong communities by focusing on building relationship ministries that grow and support healthy marriages and strong families.

Family is the key to combating poverty, reducing crime, improving education, and increasing life-long happiness. It is also the primary place where people first encounter faith.

Churches are the most powerful change agents for cultural transformation. They are best positioned to create the ecosystem that allows personal relationships to thrive, healthy marriages to form, and strong families to grow.

Each church has its own unique people and context. This means there is no one way to develop an effective relationship ministry. Communio’s vision is to bring best practices from around the country to serve churches in developing their own unique game plan to launch a relationship health movement.

Learn More

Communio consults with churches to launch a data-informed, full-circle relationship ministry

This means your church provides vision, skills, and community to individuals at each stage of a relationship – leveraging 21st century tools of predictive analytics and microtargeting to reach out to those in your community most likely in need of help. Communio does not author or publish ministry content. Rather, we work with the nation’s leading publishers within relationship ministry to curate the most effective approaches for your membership and community.

Singles

Establishes healthy dating habits and encourages marriage discernment.

Marriage Preparation

Couples assess compatibility and work with mentors before and after their wedding.

Marriage Enrichment

Married couples continuously learn skills to strengthen their relationship.

Marriage In Crisis

Couples have access to marriage intensives to help save struggling marriages.

Singles

Just 7% of churches report having this area of ministry.¹ For many twenty-somethings, “hooking up” is the norm. The most recent academic research finds that the modal time (most frequently occurring time) for when couples first have sex is now “before a relationship begins.” Meanwhile, many young adults view cohabitation as a better alternative to committed marriage. Setting aside the biblical and moral implications, social science continues to show that cohabitation increases the likelihood of becoming a single parent, suffering domestic violence, and getting divorced. Any effort to recover marriage as a social norm must square with these realities. An effective ministry for singles establishes counter-cultural norms and skills proven to improve happiness, relationship satisfaction, and life outcomes over the long term.

¹ 2019 Barna Survey

Marriage Preparation

Only 12% of churches offer substantive marital preparation with couples relationship education.¹ Most that do offer marriage preparation still lack many of the ingredients that foster healthy marriages. One critical component to an effective marriage preparation program is helping couples understand their compatibility. Ministries should also provide couples with communication skills, and help them form meaningful friendships with mentors in marriage who can help them work through the inevitable challenges that occur in early married life in the early years.

¹ 2019 Barna Survey

Marriage Enrichment

Experts in Couples Relationship Education recommend married couples commit to a habit of eight hours of marriage-strengthening activities each year. A consistent refresher for couples on how to communicate, show affection, and understand each other’s needs will ground a marriage in a set of skills to weather the normal ebbs and flows of life. Churches can also strengthen their marriage culture by providing an ongoing community where these skills and habits are practiced and encouraged.

Marriage In Crisis

94% of pastors report doing pastoral counseling for couples, but 57% report being only “somewhat” or “not very” qualified to provide effective pastoral guidance to these couples.¹ Most churches lack an ongoing ministry or road map to serve couples heading for a divorce. Communio helps your church develop its own marriage crisis game plan, anchored in best practices, to give couples the greatest chance of experiencing health, happiness, and forgiveness in their marriage.

¹ 2019 Barna Survey

Our Staff

JP De Gance

President & CEO

JP has spent his two-decade career in philanthropy seeking to scale organizations that improve lives. While executive vice president at the Philanthropy Roundtable, he incubated and launched Communio as a program area of that organization to discover the most effective philanthropic strategies to boost marital health and family stability – a leading predictor in poverty rates and upward mobility. After three years of trial and error, JP and Communio’s co-founding business leaders decided it was time to replicate the strategies that proved to be most effective. Email JP: jdegance@communio.org

Joseph Moser

Vice President of Communications

Joseph has a passion for ensuring every child in America grows up in a happy, healthy, nurturing home. As Vice President of Communications, he is responsible for implementing a marketing strategy that showcases local donors and church leaders who are healing America’s families by applying Communio’s transformative platform in their communities. When he isn’t working, you’ll find Joseph in the lawn “enjoying the mow” and devoting his time to his own family. He lives in Annandale, Virginia with his wife Jill and their three young kids. Email Joseph: jmoser@communio.org

Luke Nelson

Director of Church and City Strategies

Luke serves as City Strategist for Communio. He is responsible for the development and delivery of our Church and City-wide Platforms in targeted communities across the nation.With decades of ministerial and consulting experience, Luke brings relevant insights, spiritual depth, and humor to each learning environment. He has been a consultant to communities, churches, service organizations, and government agencies on how to integrate tools and programs to transform relationships. He is committed to the work of building strong, healthy and vital marriages and families. Luke lives in Seattle, WA and enjoys the outdoors, fishing, and spending time with family. Email Luke: lnelson@communio.org

Isaiah Contu

Special Assistant to the President

Isaiah dedicates himself to developing a culture that promotes healthy families. As Special Assistant to the President, he maintains the database and organizes the president’s day-to-day schedule to help the team stay focused on its goals. By researching new areas for Communio’s growth, he assists in the organization’s strategic planning and development process. He also furthers the mission by cultivating relationships with leaders who want to bring Communio’s platform to their community. Isaiah lives in Arlington with his wife and enjoys playing board games in his free time. Email Isaiah: icontu@communio.org)