God is for marriages; we are for marriages.

At the very start, God spoke into existence one of the central designs of His creation: “Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.” (Genesis 2:24 ESV) The first institution that God established was not the church; it was marriage, the most unique and intimate of human relationships.

River City Church is committed to helping grow and sustain healthy marriages — emotionally, relationally and spiritually — within our church family. We are created, known, wounded, and healed in the context of our relationships, and we believe that the marriage relationship, although difficult and challenging at times, can also be a place where the life of God can mature and be expressed.

“Outside of our relationship with God, marriage is the most profound relationship there is.” – Timothy Keller

We offer resources that help strengthen the relationships of those who are engaged or married. We also offer opportunities to learn and grow through “date night” events, couples retreats and marriage conferences. But perhaps the most impactful thing we do to secure and fortify marriages is marriage mentoring.

Marriage Mentoring

Marriage mentoring is a two-on-two relationship — "a relatively happy, more experienced” married couple at RCC purposefully helping another couple navigate a journey that they have already taken. We offer support to help engaged couples prepare to launch new lives together and help married couples thrive in a time of growth or navigate issues that threaten the health of their marriage. We invite them to link up with another couple who, because of their unique background, experience, and passion, are an appropriate fit to walk with them for a season.

There is something especially powerful about one couple connecting with another couple and saying, in word and in action: “We're here for you — we're praying for you — we want to see your marriage thrive.” Marriage mentors are a trained couple (nobody said anything about being “perfect”) coming alongside to encourage, equip and inspire another couple in their journey with each other and with God. 

Q. Who should be mentored?

• Couples in the engagement season or the early years of marriage when they are working to launch lifelong love

• Couples that are ready to enhance their marriage, whether they’ve been stuck in a rut or are just ready to take the next step forward toward a more fulfilling marriage

• Couples navigating tough situations, ongoing conflict, traumatic events, or big life changes

Q. How does mentoring work?

A mentee couple meets with a trained mentor couple usually for 5-7 sessions, although there could be more if requested. Each meeting lasts 1.5-2 hours. Couples work out a meeting plan together that suits their schedules.

Before meeting together, the mentee couple takes an in-depth assessment that provides them an opportunity to examine and explore their relationship based upon empirical evidence with a trained mentor couple.

In the sessions, the mentor couple walks the mentee couple through the assessment and provides understanding and application to their relationship, while identifying areas of growth and encouraging necessary next steps.

Couples learn valuable tools to build a stronger marriage.

Q. Where and when will the mentor meetings take place?

The time and location the mentor meetings will occur is up to the mentee couple and the mentor couple to decide.

Generally, they take place at the home of the mentor couple. This allows the mentee couple to move to a neutral and peaceful environment so full focus can be placed on their marriage.

Q. How does the “assessment” work?

We utilized a program called SYMBIS (Saving Your Marriage Before It Starts). Couples take a 30-minute session online that produces a customized relationship report, specific to your circumstances—engaged, married, second marriage.

The SYMBIS report covers many important topics, such as your unique personality dynamics (not only as individuals but more importantly as a couple), your “hot topics” and the secret of leveraging conflict for a stronger relationship, how to enjoy heartfelt and lasting connections, ways to cultivate deeper intimacy and enduring passion for a lifetime of pleasure and fulfillment.

The report also flags and lowers risk factors in a relationship and optimizes a couple’s combined strengths.

Over a million couples have used SYMBIS; it is the most widely used marriage tool in existence. Every aspect of this assessment is grounded in multiple studies to ensure that the tool is both reliable and valid.

Q. Is there any cost for the mentoring process?

There is a $35 per couple investment that is required for mentee couples to engage in the process. This fee covers the SYMBIS assessment (you can receive a discount code when you purchase the book Saving Your Marriage Before It Starts).

Q. Are the mentor couples trained?

Absolutely! The mentor couples have been trained thoroughly in the mentorship process and how to utilize the SYMBIS report.

Not only have they been trained, but even more importantly, they feel called to invest in marriages and are passionate about this process.

Q. Is there someone I could speak to for more information?

We would be happy to speak to you. Please fill in the form below and we will get back with you.