Abundant Rain Ministries, Inc.
Marriage and Family Classes
Marriage is important and it is God's desire that we stay together. God's plan for a man and woman was to be fruitful and multiply the earth or in other words; have a family and love our spouse and our children.
Abundant Rain Ministries is reaching out to encourage couples and to offer continued support for marriages. Below is list of a few of the classes we offer.
The Abundant Marriage | The Covenant Marriage | The Communicating Marriage | The Fighting Marriage | The Giving Marriage | The Masterpiece Marriage | The Model Marriage | The Passionate Marriage |
Living by Design | Role Model | Express Love Openly | The Causes of Conflict | Dealing with an Unfaithful Spouse | Great Expectations | Heroes Make the Right Choices | The Courtship |
If We Only Had a Little More | The Betrothal | Deal with Problems Honestly | How to Have a Good Fight | Living with an Unbelieving Spouse | The Divine Triangle | The Mystery of Submission | The Passion |
One Relationship at a Time | The Ceremony | Express Emotions Appropriately | Keep Talking | Living with an Incapacitate Spouse | The Great Adventure | The Mission of Self-Sacrifice | The Counterfeit |
Gifting It Away | The Commitment | Remember the Past & Dream for the Future | The Fighting Marriage | Living with a Hopeful Heart | A Walk in the Garden | Christ Is Our Model | The Great Romance |
Marriage Statistics by Arthur J. Norton and Louisa F. Miller
Current concerns about the condition of the American family, as well as discussions about "family values" indicate a need for timely information about factors contibuting to major shifts in family structure. The changes that have taken place during the last century in patterns of marriage behavior in the United States have profoundly influenced our lives socially and economically. Delayed first marriage is associated with increased education and work expereince among women, which in turn is associated with delayed and lower fertility. High rates of separation and divorce, as well as larger number of never-married women having children, have resulted in significant numbers and proportions of adults and children experiencing life in one-parent families. Their status is often socially and economically deprived, requiring assitance from several societal sectors. It has been estimated that almost half of children today will spend time in a one-parent family.
Marriages and Divorces, 1900–2008
The following table lists the number and rate of marriages and divorces in the United States from 1900 to 2008.
| Marriage | Divorce1 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Number | Rate2 | Number | Rate2 |
| 1900 | 709,000 | 9.3 | 55,751 | 0.7 |
| 1910 | 948,166 | 10.3 | 83,045 | 0.9 |
| 1920 | 1,274,476 | 12.0 | 170,505 | 1.6 |
| 1930 | 1,126,856 | 9.2 | 195,961 | 1.6 |
| 1940 | 1,595,879 | 12.1 | 264,000 | 2.0 |
| 1950 | 1,667,231 | 11.1 | 385,144 | 2.6 |
| 1960 | 1,523,000 | 8.5 | 393,000 | 2.2 |
| 1965 | 1,800,000 | 9.3 | 479,000 | 2.5 |
| 1970 | 2,158,802 | 10.6 | 708,000 | 3.5 |
| 1975 | 2,152,662 | 10.1 | 1,036,000 | 4.9 |
| 1980 | 2,406,708 | 10.6 | 1,182,000 | 5.2 |
| 1981 | 2,438,000 | 10.6 | 1,219,000 | 5.3 |
| 1982 | 2,495,000 | 10.8 | 1,180,000 | 5.1 |
| 1983 | 2,444,000 | 10.5 | 1,179,000 | 5.0 |
| 1984 | 2,487,000 | 10.5 | 1,155,000 | 4.9 |
| 1985 | 2,425,000 | 10.2 | 1,187,000 | 5.0 |
| 1986 | 2,400,000 | 10.0 | 1,159,000 | 4.8 |
| 1987 | 2,421,000 | 9.9 | 1,157,000 | 4.8 |
| 1988 | 2,389,000 | 9.7 | 1,183,000 | 4.8 |
| 1989 | 2,404,000 | 9.7 | 1,163,000 | 4.7 |
| 1990 | 2,448,000 | 9.8 | 1,175,000 | 4.7 |
| 1991 | 2,371,000 | 9.4 | 1,187,000 | 4.7 |
| 1992 | 2,362,000 | 9.2 | 1,215,000 | 4.8 |
| 1993 | 2,334,000 | 9.0 | 1,187,000 | 4.6 |
| 1994 | 2,362,000 | 9.1 | 1,191,000 | 4.6 |
| 1995 | 2,336,000 | 8.9 | 1,169,000 | 4.4 |
| 1996 | 2,344,000 | 8.8 | 1,150,000 | 4.3 |
| 1997 | 2,384,000 | 8.9 | 1,163,000 | 4.3 |
| 1998 | 2,256,000 | 8.4 | 1,135,000 | 4.2 |
| 1999 | 2,358,000 | 8.6 | — | 4.1 |
| 2000 | 2,329,000 | 8.5 | — | 4.2 |
| 2001 | 2,327,000 | 8.4 | — | 4.0 |
| 2002 | 2,254,000 | 7.8 | — | 4.0 |
| 2003 | 2,187,000 | 7.5 | — | 3.8 |
| 2004 | 2,279,000 | 7.8 | — | 3.7 |
| 2005 | 2,230,000 | 7.5 | — | 3.6 |
| 2006 | 2,193,000 | 7.6 | — | 3.6 |
| 2007 | 2,208,000 | 7.4 | — | 3.7 |
| 2008 | 2,208,000 | 7.3 | — | 3.6 |
In 1997, the state of Louisiana made a bold step toward heling couples consider the seriousness of a marriage commitment. The state gave couples