Divorce rate for Christians? Divorce proofing advice

Here's a question that was deferred to us by friend-of-singles:

i have a question that i have wondered for years about the answer -
if a couple (both believers) go to church together,do they have a better chance of making it last? would you get counseling at the church (maybe from a couple who have been married for 50 + years?) or is the divorce rate for christians still approx. 50 %?

Thanks for the question. Unfortunately, the divorce rate is the same for Christians as non-believers, about 50%. I'd like to direct you and your reader to our blog post from 11/10/09. Dr. Stephen Simpson, one of our experts, was addressing this topic in a chat. Click here to read the blog.

I assume this couple attends the same church and therefore are on the same page regarding faith. In addition to that, t-i-m-e spent dating or courting is a great element to stave off the risk of divorce, as well as professional pre-marriage counseling. (At least one year is a common recommendation.) Both parties will be bringing their past hurts into the relationship, and it's great if the individuals can identify those ahead of time and know how to recognize and deal with them after the honeymoon wears off. The addition of an older Christian couple who may want to mentor them can't hurt!

I hope this helps.

~ Linda