There are several important keys to helping pastors preach more effectively about marriage:

Bring marriage to the forefront of the church. Healthy marriages impact every other aspect of a church's culture. Conversely, marriages in crisis can be hurtful to the church and they can also completely burn out a pastor who tries to tackle them on his or her own. Tending to marriage as a priority from the pulpit means that marriage is a regular and consistent preaching subject.

Pastors should be willing to authentically unpack their own relationships with their spouses. Appropriate and tasteful disclosure of their own difficulties gives pastors more credibility with their congregations. The couples who sit in the pews need to know that their pastor struggles just like they do. Marriage isn't easy, and couples need to know they have a leader who understands what they are dealing with on a day-to-day basis.

Pastors must be willing to touch on the dicey subjects, such as a lack of emotional intimacy, ...