Pennsylvania's Families Need the Church to Lead
Pennsylvania ranks 34th in the nation for family stability — and the
data behind that ranking tells a story worth understanding.
Across Pennsylvania, pastors are seeing it every week — the weight of struggling marriages, fragmented families, and communities searching for stability. The data confirms what you already know: Pennsylvania ranks 34th in the nation for family stability. Just over half of prime-aged adults are married. Less than two-thirds of teens are growing up in homes with both parents. But data doesn't discourage us — it directs us. And it points straight to the local church.
You're Already Positioned to Lead This
Your church has something no government program or social service can replicate: trust, relationship, and a gospel mission. Through the Pennsylvania Family Institute's Church Ambassador Network, pastors across the Commonwealth are being equipped to turn that trust into tangible, lasting impact for marriages and families in their communities.
This isn't another program to manage. It's a sustainable model of ministry — one that meets people where they are and walks with them toward something better.
What This Looks Like in Practice
In partnership with Communio, a national ministry specializing in marriage and relationship formation, churches are being equipped with:
Practical tools
To launch and sustain relationship ministry
Real data
To understand the needs in your specific community
Coaching and support
So you're never doing this alone
Churches that have partnered with this model for 12–24 months have seen an average of 24% growth in Sunday attendance — not as a goal, but as a fruit of genuinely serving their communities.
“What stood out to us was the ability to deliver real outcomes—restored marriages, growing churches, and stronger communities—through a model pastors can actually implement and sustain,” said Weaver. “This strengthens the work of our Church Ambassador Network by giving pastors practical ways to serve families in their communities.”
Stronger Marriages. Healthier Communities. A Flourishing Church.
When marriages strengthen, families stabilize. When families stabilize, communities change. Pastors, through their churches, can become catalysts for the kind of generational renewal that no policy or program can produce on its own.
24%
Average growth in Sunday attendance for churches partnering 12–24 months
Tens of thousands
Individuals participate annually in relationship ministry experiences
74%
Couples report high or complete marriage satisfaction afterward
About Communio
Communio is a nonprofit ministry that partners with churches nationwide to launch data-informed marriage and relationship ministries. By equipping churches with tools, training, and strategic insights, Communio helps reverse trends of divorce, marriage, family breakdown, and social disconnection—one relationship at a time.
About Pennsylvania Family Institute
Pennsylvania Family Institute is a nonprofit organization dedicated to strengthening families and promoting the foundational role of the family in society. Through its Church Ambassador Network, it connects pastors and ministry leaders across Pennsylvania to engage both faith and public life in ways that serve the common good.
For questions or to arrange an interview, contact Josue Sierra:
- media@pafamily.org
- 202-430-0282
What Leaders Are Saying
"Pastors, through their churches, can become catalysts for generational change. Stronger marriages lead to stronger families, healthier communities, and a culture where both the Church and civil society can flourish together."
Kurt Weaver
Director of the Church Ambassador Network of PA Family
“When marriages are supported and children grow up in stable, caring homes, it makes a real difference—our communities feel safer, our economy does better, and the next generation has a stronger start. That’s why investing in marriage and family matters so much for Pennsylvania’s future.”
Michael Geer
President of the Pennsylvania Family Institute
“Family structure is one of the strongest predictors we have for whether children and communities are thriving."
Brad Wilcox
Distinguished University Professor of Sociology at the University of Virginia and a Lead Researcher on the Report
