June 2013 – Unlike the attempts of mainstream America to redefine marriage, Bryan and Kari Robertson founded Family Walk ministry in an effort to exalt marriage as it is defined in Scripture.

“The whole foundation of marriage, which God established, is obviously under attack in our country,” Bryan told AFA Journal. “So I think the Lord is using us to help reestablish the boundaries and foundation that God set in place a long, long time ago.

“Not that we know it all, but we feel like God wants us to teach what we do know.” 

After serving on staff for six years at First Baptist Church, Woodstock, Georgia, Bryan was called to Knoxville, Tennessee, as family pastor at Grace Baptist Church. But for some time now, the Lord has been cultivating in the hearts of Bryan and Kari a passion for the family, particularly marriage and parenting.

That passion began to take root in the form of ministry when the Lord led Bryan to write a booklet titled Top 10 Components of a Strong Marriage. After the booklet was published, Bryan and Kari began getting invitations to speak at various churches and events.

“That’s really how Family Walk came into existence. I said, ‘Yes, Lord; I will finally sit down and write this booklet on marriage,’” Bryan explained. “After that, it was just amazing to see how He started opening up doors all over the place for us to do these events.”

Events
A Family Walk event is designed to teach and encourage. It comes in all shapes and sizes and is molded to the needs of the church, organization or individual that requests the couple to come speak. For example, the most popular event is known as “date night.” It’s a one-night event, usually held on a Friday night, in which Bryan and Kari both share the 10 points from his booklet.

“We have lots of media, video, PowerPoints. It’s very interactive,” Kari said. “There are a lot of fun times, and a lot of heart-stirring times.”

They present couples from all walks of life and all marriage situations with Scripture and research to teach or remind them about the high view God has of marriage.

“The reason we do marriage and parenting events is that we want to keep husbands and wives together (for the sake of their children) and because they are a picture of God and His bride, the church,” Bryan explained.

In addition to the date nights, Bryan and Kari also lead weekend seminars and short-term retreats or getaways. The weekend seminars are typically held at a church on a Friday night and Saturday morning. Marriage is usually the focus of the Friday evening seminar, while parenting is the topic discussed on Saturday. The retreats or getaways are often held at a location away from the church, and they allow participants to receive two or three days of teaching and biblical instruction.

However, Bryan and Kari are willing to accommodate various needs and requests. Bryan is available for men’s events, and Kari, a former Miss Mississippi and Miss America top 10 finalist, speaks to women about the importance of modesty. They also incorporate praise and worship into their events. Kari recently released her debut CD titled Forever Yours.

“We use the CD as part of our marriage events because music is really universal,” she said.

Effects
But what seems to be one of the most effective aspects of the couple’s ministry is the way they ping-pong their discussion points between each other. They both stand and share together.

“Kari speaks to the women’s hearts, and I speak to the men’s hearts,” Bryan said.

“They get to hear from the heart of a wife and mother and then also from a husband and dad,” Kari added.

It’s a nice dynamic, especially when it comes to addressing hard topics like pornography.

“Typically, as women, we don’t understand. We condemn the men. We don’t understand why they would keep doing this.” Kari explained. “It is a sin; it is horrible. But it just gives you a whole different perspective when you can have a man and woman both sharing from their hearts and from very personal experiences. …

“When I share about pornography, it’s from the heart of a mom whose heart was broken by it,” Kari said.

Bryan and Kari have three children, two sons and a daughter. When one of their sons was 11 years old, they discovered that he was viewing pornography on the family computer. They incorporate that experience into their events because it has proven to be a powerful tool that the Lord is using in the lives of other parents who are realizing their children have the same struggle.

“My son’s eyes have been guarded; the TV, magazines, media have been guarded in our home,” Kari said. “But pornography is just that prevalent and that rampant.”

“So the stories that we tell are personal stories,” Bryan added. “It’s not like we’re up there giving these dreamy stories from people they can’t relate to. We’re sharing personal stories of where we failed and also where we’ve succeeded.”

And God seems to be using this couple’s transparency in a mighty way to reach couples in all situations, including those who have suffered through a divorce and are remarried. 

“It’s just been cool watching God work as we go all over the place encouraging people,” Bryan said. “That’s what we want to do, just encourage families to keep on keeping on, to stay together.”

“Choose today to have your marriage glorify God,” Kari said. “Choose today a godly heritage for
your children.”  

Bryan and Kari suggest how to strengthen your marriage

▶ Clearly communicate with your spouse in all aspects of your marriage, including finances, love languages, expectations of special occasions, intimacy, etc.
▶ Have a joint checking account.
▶ Set a consistent date night with your spouse whether it be once a week, once every two weeks or once a month.
▶ Go on a one-night getaway with your spouse.

For more information and to book a Family Walk event, visit the Family Walk website or call 678-314-2250.

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Resources

▶ Top 10 Components of a Strong Marriage by Bryan D. Robertson, foreword by Dr. Johnny M. Hunt
▶ Forever Yours CD with songs performed by Kari Robertson

Both are available at familywalk.org, amazon.com or by calling 678-314-2250. The CD is also available for purchase and download through iTunes.