American Family Association’s Engage Ministry Reaches Millennials to Strengthen Marriages

Engage Seeks to Connect Young Christians and Be a Voice for America’s Influential Millennial Generation

February 18, 2020

TUPELO, Miss.—A new article in Business Insider reports that more millennials are being strategic about marriage, and their views are having a cultural impact. Millennials, for instance, are marrying later in life due to a fear of divorce or financial burdens—or they’re not getting married at all.

These are trends the Engage ministry of American Family Association (AFA, www.afa.net) is watching closely, especially as it works to build families and communities by informing, equipping and activating individuals to strengthen the moral foundations of American culture.

Engage, launched by AFA in 2015, specifically reaches out to young Americans through Engage Magazine, weekly podcasts and multiple online resources written by thoughtful, intelligent members of this influential generation.

“Engage is a place where the voices of faithful millennials can be heard,” said AFA Vice President of Outreach Wesley Wildmon, who co-hosts the podcasts and writes frequently for Engage. “Our passionate, outspoken and active generation will truly be game-changers in our world, in politics, in churches, in education and in our communities. One of the crucial callings we feel at Engage is to keep young marriages strong so couples can raise children who will grow up to be God-honoring, servant-minded adults.”

Wildmon pointed to several Engage resources where marriage and family are a priority. For example, Engage podcasts focus on issues of young marriage and growing families:

Likewise, many Engage blog posts address marriage and family, such as the post titled, “Defending Young Marriage,” where it is noted:

“Your spouse is the most important person in your life and deserves your highest allegiance and ultimate love. But with this said, there is yet one devotion that takes precedence above all, which fulfills any relationship to its fullest. This highest commitment goes to God. Loving God more than your spouse actually makes you a better spouse because God commands His followers to love each other unconditionally, and specifically, to serve one another in marriage. If you love God more than your spouse, you will love your spouse to the highest potential.”

Another young wife and Engage writer shared that several months into her new marriage, she realized there were several things “nobody told me about marriage.” But through accommodating, adapting and commitment, this husband and wife learned that marriage is neither the path to ultimate fulfillment nor the ultimate fiasco.

“Marriage has changed our level of emotional intimacy, and there are several aspects to this,” according to the article. “For one, communication has been much better. While I felt I knew my husband well before we were married, I learned more about him in the first five months of marriage than I did in five years of dating. Furthermore, spending unmeasured time together, just doing little unimportant things day by day, makes our relationship at once less thrilling and more satisfying.

“However, because I am content to just spend time with my husband, I find I have less free time I am willing to dedicate to other pursuits. Being together involves less effort and pressure than it did while dating, and perhaps because of that, it is easy to allow it to take up more time and interest. All told, it is much easier than I knew it would be to not stress about measuring up and doing things right and instead just enjoy my marriage.”

The millennial-driven EngageMagazine.net exists to help this generation build their own worldview grounded in Scripture and the truth of the gospel. Created by millennials for millennials, Engage Magazine is using the platform of AFA to reach this generation with the gospel and provide millennials with the tools necessary to build a biblical worldview for themselves and bring understanding and meaning to life in a fallen world.

To connect with AFA’s Engage ministry, visit www.EngageMagazine.net, its Facebook page, or find the ministry on Twitter and Instagram. For more information, email engagefaq@afa.net.

View the media page for AFA here. For more information on American Family Association, visit www.afa.net or follow AFA on Facebook or on Twitter @AmericanFamAssc.

###

To interview an American Family Association representative, contact Media@HamiltonStrategies.com, Jeff Tolson, 610.584.1096, ext. 108, or ext. 102.