Often vision seems to clarify as we take steps of obedience. That has certainly been the case with the University of the Family.

For the first seventeen years of ministry, the Lord had this ministry concentrate solely on marriage. Many times during those years we were asked by pastors and leaders to consider expanding the ministry to other courses for the family. We saw the need and were willing to consider their requests, but each time we prayed the Lord told us to stay focused on marriage.

Then, almost three years ago, He began to give vision regarding the needs of families. After years of concentrating on marriage, we had learned that the family is rooted in the covenant of marriage. From that foundation we realized that any ministry to the family needs to be based on a clear understanding of the relationship and roles of the husband and wife. We began to envision this new ministry that the Lord was speaking about for families as the University of the Family—focused on teaching family members God’s blueprint for their lives.

As we traveled the world and listened to the couples in each country we visited, we realized that family ministry was a consistent need around the globe.  The vision of the Lord grew within us to develop discipleship programming much like we already have in Married for Life and ONE that would touch many areas of family life with the truth of the Word. We recognized that MMI had a large network of leadership around the world, many of which had a burden beyond what we were all doing for marriages. Many of these leaders desired to minister to the family with the Word of the Lord in greater depth. We saw the need to teach families in many areas such as parenting, finances, addictions, blessing, schooling, etc. We knew the world did not have the answers and that families could only be healed and strengthened through the Word of the Lord.

For the next two years we tried to explain the University of the Family to MMI leaders and to other leaders in the Body of Christ. It was much like the story of the five blind men coming upon an elephant. One touched the trunk, one touched the tail, one touched an ear, one touched a foot, and one touched the side of the elephant. As each one described the part he had found it was very hard to picture the creature.

The man with the trunk in his hand pictured a creature that crawled much like a snake. The man with the ear was determined the creature could fly because of its large wings. And so each one described his impression but in the end none of them knew what an elephant really was. Unfortunately that is just what happened during the two years we tried to explain the University of the Family. The two of us weren’t seeing the same vision and we left more people confused than inspired.

As the Lord spoke to us, we initially envisioned the University of the Family as a network model—a number of ministries (of which MMI would have been one) under the University of the Family umbrella. Recognizing MMI’s focus on marriage as the center for family ministry, we looked around the Body of Christ and saw many other anointings for marriage and family. We realized that each one provided their own unique focus and that working together we could heal and strengthen marriages and families at a much faster rate. A desire to network with these other ministries began to grow strongly within us. We did not want to reinvent the wheel or to compete with anointed ministries that were already blessing the Body of Christ. We wanted to take godly advantage of the existing anointings already flowing.

As we shared with other ministry leaders, though, we discovered they had their own visions and were busy doing what God had called them to do. They liked the idea of working together, but becoming part of the University of the Family did not seem to inspire them. We discovered that the way we envisioned the University was simply not compatible with other ministries’ visions and missions. We were asking them to network with this ministry by putting parts of their ministry, anointing, and programming under MMI’s vision and authority at the same time saying that we are all working together as equals.

Once we realized this, we moved toward a model of the University of the Family that was a democracy with all ministries being equal, having equal input and working in agreement. This new concept of the University did not seem to make much difference in our discussions with other ministries, though, and it did not settle in our spirits as what God was saying.

We began to realize there is a great difference between an alliance or network of ministries that work together for families and the kind of unity and power that occurs when all ministries have the same vision and core values. Alliances network together ministries with a variety of visions but a common focus. Each ministry is separate and has its own distinctive authority and oversight structure. They recommend each other’s ministry, but they are not united under a singular authority structure.

We had been trying to create something with other ministries that was perhaps an impossibility. No wonder we couldn’t find agreement with other ministry leaders! Finally we realized that the University of the Family was God’s direction to us and God had called us to lead it. We were trying to get others to buy into a vision that simply was not theirs. We still had a desire to network with other ministries, but we realized that they would not be a direct part of the vision the Lord was giving us, the University of the Family.

Change in Direction

We then began to see the University of the Family as a Pipeline—a model composed of common leadership throughout the world with similar vision, training and purpose. As the understanding became clear we realized that the Lord was expanding the scope and vision within our own leadership structure to include courses much like what we already have for marriage but ones that would focus on family issues. Each one of these courses will fit easily into the pipeline that God has already established around the world.

In over 90 nations of the world, the initial pipeline is already in place. In some countries it has strongly branched out into many cities, churches, and neighborhoods. In other countries the pipeline is small and barely established. However, it has become our desire to create a pipeline to take God’s Word for marriage and family to every block of every city of every nation.

The pipeline that was Marriage Ministries International focused on marriages only, but the pipeline of the University of the Family is going to focus on the family. We are expanding our mission and focus. Marriage Ministries International is not part of the University of the Family—it is actually becoming University of the Family! We are changing our name as we expand our mission.

God’s vision is to create courses that leaders could use to minister to many of the family needs and send those products down the pipeline. The core values, the format of the courses, the manner in which leaders are trained, the unity of leadership vision and goals will all be the glue that unites and holds the expanding group of courses together.

Ministries that flow together in the University of the Family will all:

• be one-flesh based
• have covenant at their roots
• be home-based ministries
• be focused on discipling and reproducibility
• have international scope
• share leadership authority in common

At the same time we recognize other powerful anointings within the Body of Christ for marriage and family and we want to continue to recommend those ministries to families. The University of the Family in no way changes our commitment to work with other ministries. It simply clarifies the scope of the authority and responsibility of the leaders who are working together within the University.

A New Home

God has now given us a campus where the University of the Family can be headquartered—a place where courses for the family can be developed, a place where families can come to learn how to be strong, a place that will help the whole family to become that powerhouse home the Lord showed us so many years ago. At the same time it would be a place where couples could come to train, learning how to minister to every member of the family. It will also be a place where families can be trained together to go to the nations. We envision families ministering to families and communities being touched and changed by the power of God. We believe because this campus is called the University of the Family, even the world will understand that it is a place of education and growth for family members. 

We envision the University of the Family campus to be: