Give to Biola

Our Priorities

Center for Marriage and Relationships

“We are witnesses to a growing cultural angst concerning the institution of marriage. The key is to shape this generation with a biblical perspective and equip them to grow and flourish in their marriages and relationships.”

Chris Grace
Director, Center for Marriage and Relationships

The Cultural Need

Healthy marriages and relationships provide a critical foundation for human and societal flourishing. Yet this foundation is crumbling.

Consider the following:

  • The marriage rate of Americans 18 and older sank to 50.3 percent in 2013, representing at least a 93-year low, according to Census Bureau data.
  • Most estimates agree that between one quarter and one half of U.S. marriages end in divorce.
  • More than 40 percent of all children in the U.S. are born outside of marriage. Cohabitation — couples living together without having married — has become a more common alternative to marriage.
  • A 2013 study from the National Center for Health Statistics found that, as a first union, 48 percent of women cohabited with their male partner, up from 43 percent in 2002 and 34 percent in 1995.

Resources for the World

The CMR provides helpful, biblically centered resources for marriage and relationships including: 

  • A vibrant website featuring videos, interviews, blog posts, podcasts and other resources related to healthy relationships and marriages

  • The distribution of robust online resources on YouTube, Open Biola, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and other networks, allowing for wide exposure to a variety of audiences

  • A couples’ relationship conference for Biola students (undergraduate and graduate) and staff who are seriously dating, engaged, or newly married

  • Marriage and relationship events and mini-conferences at churches as well as state and private colleges and universities

  • Annual training and certification opportunities in marriage mentoring, premarital education and marital counseling resources

  • The commissioning of scholars from various disciplines to collaborate and conduct research on healthy relationships and marriages

  • Invitations each semester to “visiting scholars” to collaborate with CMR faculty and staff on the topic of relationships and marriages, and to present at regional and national conferences and seminars

  • Presenting public lectures and events at secular universities and colleges, designed to help foster Christian perspectives on healthy relationships and marriages and to provide a vehicle for presenting the gospel

The Vision of the Center for Marriage and Relationships at Biola University

We believe what’s lacking is a solid grounding in Christian wisdom and the Word of God.

The Biola University Center for Marriage and Relationships (CMR) seeks to bring a biblical perspective to marriage and relationships, equipping individuals, couples and families with tools, resources and wisdom to help them flourish in the way God intended. We believe that the transformative power of God, combined with the best of applied research on marriages and relationships, can bring about real change in our hearts and in our day-to-day lives.

The Center for Marriage and Relationships exists to build and sustain healthy relationships and marriages in the church and broader culture. We strive to provide a safe place for individuals, couples and families to share their stories and be heard. We are dedicated to strengthening their relationships so they can grow and thrive. And finally, we desire to restore and inspire a vision of marriage that reflects the beautiful model of Christ’s redeeming love for the church.

Investing in the Vision

The expansive vision of the Center for Marriage and Relationships has the potential to make a profound impact in our world by equipping individuals, couples, and families to build and sustain healthy, Christ-centered relationships. However, since the center is not funded out of student tuition dollars or regular operating expenses, its financial sustainability depends entirely on the generosity of donors like you. The ambitious scope and potential reach of CMR is multifaceted and will require significant resources, and we need your help. 

Learn more about the events and resources available through the Center for Marriage and Relationships

Visit cmr.biola.edu