Our culture has set the bar of what we think a great marriage should be, to an unhelpful and artificial level.
Romantic movies, advertising and endless social media scrolling, tell a story of the ‘perfect marriage’ (and it’s no surprise, they’ve been getting it all wrong).
The digital Babylon that our younger generations live in has more influence on their marriages than God’s Word.
As a society we've become great at weddings, but BAD at marriage
It’s clear to me that the world’s model of love, sex and relationships is broken.
Hi. My name’s Benjamin Windle. I’m a Senior Pastor, author, father of three boys and have been married to my wife Cindi for almost 20 years.
I’ve married many couples, and can attest to the fact that if a person’s marriage is not healthy, no amount of career success or financial accumulation will make up for it. When a marriage starts to go wrong, it doesn’t happen in isolation. The strain begins to affect all other areas in a couple’s life - from finances to emotions and mental health to relationships with children and family.
I know as a Pastor, if I can be proactive at building healthy marriages upstream, it will save hours in the counselling room downstream.
So I started with a notepad and wrote out the principles that have guided my marriage towards health (certainly not perfection) for almost 20 years.
Cindi and I have been through crises, ups and down, international moves, business start ups, children, and all the drama that real life brings.
And we’ve learned a lot along the way.
I wanted to write from the context of the real challenges that people facein their relationships, and give some surprising, and at times counterintuitive truthsthat our culture largely overlooks.
These handwritten quotes immediately resonated with couples when I first shared them and I realised I was hitting a real need. I’ve called them ‘Marriage Goals’, and they form the framework of this short, authentic and God-centred marriage enrichment series for married couples under 40.
Cindi and I are not the ambassadors of a perfect marriage... But we are ambassadors of a healthy marriage (and yes, there’s a big difference).
Introducing...
The Marriage Goals enrichment course for churches
Over 8 very honest conversations this innovative course will help couples within your church implement practical and lasting changes into their marriages by...
Busting common marriage misconceptions
Providing a Biblically-based model of marriage to benchmark their own relationships by
Recognising helpful and harmful thoughts, words, habits and behaviours
Intentionally building unity and romance in the everyday
8 punchy and concise videos of around 8 minutes each
Here's what our conversations will be covering...
There is no such thing as a perfect marriage (Health not perfection is the goal of your marriage)
A healthy marriage is more about cultivation than compatibility (Am I building up or tearing down my spouse?)
We should celebrate staying more than starting (We’ve got the idea of true love backwards)
A marriage neglected will deteriorate over time (Is 4 minutes a day together enough?)
Friendship is the best foundation (What’s the building block of your marriage?)
We are on the same team (A winning argument always loses)
Never look for a solution outside your marriage. (The answer is in your marriage)
Do now what you did at first (Why you should be winning your spouse’s heart daily)
We've been married for almost 8 years. We have two small children and my husband and I juggle work and study. Life had become busy, built around routine and we were spending little time together. We both missed the fun and romance of our early years. The lesson that resonated most was 'Do now what you did at first'. So we've both intentionally gone down memory lane, and given happy memories new life and prioritised time together. Thank you Ben and Cindi for this simple lesson that's made a BIG difference to us
Authentic and Real!
Andrew Stone
It was so refreshing to hear stories and the simple yet profound truths of a building and keeping long term relationships. Ben and Cindi both have whole heartedly invested themselves into this course and it shows in the way they communicate to the hearts and minds of the listeners.
Valuable Insights for a Healthy Marriage
Murray Averill, ACC Pastor
Ben and Cindi provide valuable insights into the attitudes and behaviours that build a healthy marriage. With refreshing honesty and humour they explode many of the myths and misunderstandings that can trip up marriage.
Get instant, forever access for unlimited couples in your church
A streamlined and timely course
How do I deliver this course to my church?
With three young children ourselves, we recognise that the old model of trying to get young married couples to attend physical small groups has become harder. No matter whether your church meets physically, exclusively online, or a hybrid model, the downloadable audio and video versions can be viewed on any device (phone, tablet, computer and TV) and allow this course to be completed at any time, from anywhere.
Which couples is this course for?
We’ve called this course a ‘marriage enrichment course’. We don’t offer in depth counselling on specific marriage challenges, nor is this a comprehensive premarriage course for engaged couples. Think of these videos as an opportunity to take a few moments to invest and ‘check in’ with one another. Whilst designed with the online usability features particularly suited to the under 40s couples in mind, the content remains relevant to couples who are over this age bracket. (We have personally launched this to all of our couples, church-wide).
Would this suit my church?
Whether your church has 50 or 5000 people, the delivery of this course can be modified to suit the number of participants and your preferred level of involvement. The course content is delivered in a conversational style, is Biblically-based and presented as non-denominational (make sure you watch the first video for free to see if you enjoy the teaching style).
How can this course be used by my church?
There are three easy ways you can use this course as a church-wide resource. 1) Self-paced. We provide a church-wide coupon link you can email to your couples. Couples can then work through the videos at their own pace. 2) Church-led. By using Zoom or Facebook live, Pastors can host their couples through the course, each in their own home. 3) Physical small group. Couples can share a meal, a coffee and play the videos on a television or laptop. A pdf guide is provided with the course that summarises the big ideas from each video for informal discussion.
What is my role as the local pastor?
We’ve streamlined the delivery of this course so that much of the administration and organisation is taken care of. Whilst we’ve designed the course to be ‘couple-lead’ and as simple as a one-click resource to forward to your church in an email, your involvement in personally hosting or guiding participants through the course can be increased if you prefer. Once couples begin the course, Thrive Co group even follows up through the week with email reminders to keep your couples engaged, and to encourage completion.
Bonus material
We've made it so easy to use and share this content with your couples
Audio only version
Want to listen to this course in your car or in the gym? We will provide the audio-only version for you to listen anytime and any place.
Pdf notes
An 8-part PDF for small groups to read and follow.
Video for pastors
You'll receive a short step by step video from Thrive Co that will help you to easily share this course using online streaming tools such as Facebook and Zoom.
One-off payment
Forever access, full accessibility and unlimited couples
Check out one of the videos right now for free, without needing to create an account. No credit card details required.
Money back guarantee
All ThriveCo courses come with a 30 day money back guarantee. If you feel that the course doesn’t deliver, you'll receive your money back. Just send me a quick email and let me know. No questions asked. Really.
Forever access
Your access to all videos NEVER expires. You truly have the freedom to work at your own pace, find the delivery model that works for your church, and launch this series over and over again to your couples.
Orient your couples towards a healthier, happier marriage.
Cindi and I passionately love the local church and live to see lives and families transformed within. I’d consider it an honour to partner with your church.
Go ahead and get your unlimited church-wide access TODAY before this offer must expire for the final time.
See you in the course,
Ben and Cindi
Marriage Goals
A new generation marriage course for young couples
Romantic movies, advertising and endless social media scrolling, tell a story of the ‘perfect marriage’ (and it’s no surprise, they’ve been getting it all wrong).
