The Marriage Initiative unites visionary marriage leaders who desire to connect and serve with intentional purpose.

Our Mission

To bring together like-minded community, content, and church leaders who share a passion for strengthening marriages.

• Build Trust: To work together, we must know and trust one another.
• Empower: Help people use their unique talents to work in their highest and best roles.
• Find a Sense of Shared Identity: Unite, partner, and work together, instead of in isolation.

 

Our Vision

To elevate the importance of marriage by coming together as marriage leaders, collectively and collaboratively.

We Help in 3 Ways

  1. Walk alongside Local Community Marriage Initiatives:

    We help people with the passion to serve marriage, connect with others in their region and together, work towards a larger, more collective goal. 

  2. Connect National Marriage Leaders through the Marriage Leader Network.

  3. Connect and unite content leaders, community leaders, church leaders, and couples, and marriage champions through National Marriage Week.

Scott Goodson

Movements are about mobilizing people around shared purpose.

Our organization understands that no amount of downstream effort can compensate for upstream neglect.

Family systems shape social systems

Social systems shape public systems

And public systems shape culture

We know:

  • How trust is built

  • How hope spreads

  • How narratives shift

  • And how local leaders can carry wisdom that institutions often overlook

Many leaders have vision but no structure.

Others have structure but no hope.

We carry both.

We as a ministry believe….

That the Bible is error-free. It is the authoritative and inspired Word of God and has supreme authority over all matters.

We as a ministry believe…

That there is one Creator and Ruler of both heaven and earth. There is only one “Most Holy God”. He eternally exists in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit and He is worthy of all honor, glory, worship, and praise.

We as a ministry believe…

That salvation is God’s free gift to us should we choose to accept that gift. Jesus came to earth as a man and died on the cross for our sins. Those who accept Christ as Lord and Savior by faith are justified by grace to be saved and one day will return to heaven with Him.

We as a ministry believe…

That God designed marriage to bring a husband and wife together in unity for a lifetime. Marriage between a man and a woman is a reflection of Christ’s relationship with the church and serves as a strong foundation for society. Divorce is a painful path to take which reverberates for generations through a family.  Our ministry does everything it can to build up, nurture, heal, reconcile, and support a healthy marriage.

We as a ministry believe…

That all human life and gender was created on purpose and is to be valued.

We as a ministry believe…

In the power of prayer.

We as a ministry believe…

That God is a God of forgiveness, grace, mercy, and hope.

Statement of Faith

Meet the Marriage Initiative Team

  • Carl Caton

    PRESIDENT & FOUNDER

  • Dionna Sanchez

    DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS

  • Eliseo Sanchez

    DIRECTOR OF OPERATONS

  • Steffanie Oltmans

    DIRECTOR OF COMMUNITY MARRIAGE INITIATIVES

  • Kay Hanson

    DiRECTOR OF MARRIAGE LEADER NETWORK

  • Katie MacLeod

    FAMILY POLICY DIRECTOR

  • Addison Oltmans

    VISUAL DESIGNER

  • Emily Beall

    EVENTS AND ENGAGEMENT COORDINATOR

  • Josette Chavez

    PROJECT MANAGER

  • Erica Schapiro

    AMBASSADOR - MARRIAGE CHAMPION CHURCH NETWORK (MCCN)

  • Chad Schapiro

    AMBASSADOR - MARRIAGE CHAMPION CHURCH NETWORK (MCCN)

  • Amy Morgan

    FEATURE WRITER

  • Jina Rios

    SOCIAL MEDIA COORDINATOR

  • Jennifer Longoria

    SPECIAL PROJECTS CONSULTANT

  • Rickari McCain

    COMMUNICATIONS ASSISTANT

  • Samantha Bittman

    PROJECT SUPPORT COORDINATOR

  • Scott Oltmans

    LOCAL FRAMEWORKS

  • Taylor Abrahamsen

    RESEARCH AND NEWSLETTERS

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

  • Carl Caton, PRESIDENT

    Businessman

    Board Member - NARME National Association of Relationship & Marriage Educators

    President - National Marriage Week

    Appointed by Governor Abbott as Chair of the Texas Commission on Marriage and Family (2025-2026)

  • Dennis Stoica, BOARD MEMBER

    Businessman

    Board Member - Live the Life - Florida

    Board Member - NARME National Association of Relationship and Marriage Educators

    Co-founder of the California Healthy Marriages Coalition

    Founder of the Orange County Marriage Resource Center

    Smart Marriages IMPACT Award Winner

  • Jackie Parker, BOARD MEMBER

    Entrepreneur and consultant

    Certified Public Accountant

    Jackie and her husband, Joe, are both Re|engage facilitators

  • Jeff Kemp, BOARD MEMBER

    Founder, MenHuddle.com

    Board Member - Fatherhood CoMission

    Author, Facing the Blitz & Receive: The Way of Jesus for Men

    Husband to Stacy

    Read More 
We’d love to get to know you better!

Would you like to connect with us regarding ministering to marriages in your area?

Contact us!