Wyoming Strong Families: God Honored Mike Wortham’s Obedience
By Amy Morgan
Trust and obey — the lyrics of the famous hymn seem simple but living them out can be daunting. It takes courage and faith to follow God’s call, and especially if that means walking away from one’s source of income.
In spring 2025, Mike and Lana Wortham stepped out in faith as Mike pivoted from 20 years’ employment in the oil fields to join Wyoming Strong Families in full-time ministry. Their decision carries even more weight because the Worthams had followed a ministry dream previously that didn’t resolve in a picture-perfect ending. But, to quote theologian Frederick Buechner “The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.”
Mike and Lana have long recognized the value of marriage and family as they’ve lived out their Christian testimony. Mike worked in youth camp ministries in college and eventually became the program director of Lone Tree Bible Ranch, where he also led a family camp.
“I loved the opportunity to minister, talk about Jesus and have fun,” he said. He noticed it took dads a few days to re-direct their thoughts from work and start connecting and dreamed of opening a camp dedicated to families. One of his friends owned a large ranch and allowed him to lead a Family Adventure Ministry (FAM) camp there from 2000-2005. Mike people skills shone, but growing a dream into a business proved challenging, and that chapter eventually ended. Mike took a job in the oil field, and the couple put ministry behind them.
But God uses people no matter where they are. Even Mike in the Oilfield as a hot oil truck operator. “When you are a believer, you can’t help but talk about the Lord,” he said. Mike didn’t swear, didn’t abuse substances, was devoted to his wife and children, and was known for his scrupulous honesty. He wouldn’t lie on a timesheet.
Mike Wortham
Long hours and unpredictability were the most difficult parts of his job. Mike’s day started well before sunrise, but he never knew just when he’d be able to return home. Time and again he couldn’t be counted on for school pickup or family dinner. And in the days before cell phones were ubiquitous, often he couldn’t even call. “That was hard for Lana,” Mike admitted, “to know my heart was there but that she could never really depend on me to be there when she needed me to be.”
His “was not a family friendly profession,” Mike said. A 60+ hour work week was normal. “The job came before your marriage. People out there work hard and play hard, and there are a lot of single men. I always told guys, ‘I love my wife, I want to go home and see her and my kids.’” People noticed Mike’s witness, which gave him opportunities to talk about God and marriage. “I didn’t want to see guys struggling with their marriage,” he said. “They’d ask questions, and I’d give them Biblical truth in a way that applied to real life.”
The Worthams learned to navigate the stress of oil field work and now celebrate 32 years of marriage. “Lana was the one who had to be gracious and depend on the Lord,” Mike added. “She had to pick up the slack and not be perpetually angry at me, to understand the struggle was a situation of life circumstance, not a fault in her spouse.”
In 2016 Mike and Lana met Brady and Melissa Vanderburg, founders of Wyoming Strong Families (Wyostrong.org), when they attended a marriage mentor training event. The Worthams blossomed as they mentored their first couple who needed skills and encouragement and rediscovered their joy in serving together. They kept volunteering with Wyoming Strong Families, leading workshops and teaching classes about what it looks like to love a spouse in an understanding way and listening to understand. Mike still feels gratified when a couple tells him they’ve been able to finish a tough conversation without getting angry.
Mike passed a milestone 20-year anniversary in the oil field in 2025 and felt God tugging on his heart. The kids were out on their own, the house was paid for, he felt it might be a good time to make a career change. He and Lana prayed and sought wise counsel. Two friends whom he had known since childhood reaffirmed their confidence in his return to ministry, where they knew his heart remained. They told him they didn’t want him to struggle to fundraise before he could serve – they wanted him to get out there and start doing the work. The rancher and business owner said they “wanted to invest in him because he invests in other people.” They volunteered to finance the bulk of his support, and in six months, Mike was fully funded. Buoyed by his friends’ confidence, he left the oil field for good in March.
“God had already prepared people’s hearts to invest in His call to me,” Mike said. “I lived through hardship in those 20 years, and God was the one who brought us through.”
Now Mike’s official role as Community Relations Director on staff with Wyoming Strong Families is to build relationships with church and community leaders. He looks for ways Wyoming Strong Families can come alongside and encourage them in the area of marriage ministry. One main theme he espouses is that marriage is valuable and honorable.
Another goal is to help Wyoming’s divorce rate decrease from its position as one of the highest in the country per capita. The strategy is to inspire, engage, connect and empower. The organization reports that its leaders have trained 150+ community leaders, supported 50+ organizations and 35 workshops and events. “We bust common myths about marriage and divorce by reframing these beliefs with accurate statistics and the truth found only in God's Word. We inspire couples to think more highly of marriage and encourage them to invest in their marriages,” from the website. Wyoming Strong Families also posts an events calendar. Current offerings include a Legacy Grandparenting Event, a fall 2026 Casper Couples Date night, PREP and Navigating Us on demand, and FamilyLife’s spring Weekend to Remember.
The organization currently promotes a Wyoming Marriage Challenge, with ideas for couples, churches and community organizations. One of Mike’s roles is to help churches encourage marriages. “Sometimes in smaller churches, the pastor is doing everything. I’ll see what they are excited about and show them the resources we have that add value.”
Mike helps pastors with specifics so they can talk intentionally about marriage. He’ll explain how a Wyoming Strong Families’ marriage ministry workshop lays the foundation for next step marriage mentor training. “The goal is to have lay people involved to walk alongside couples who need enrichment,” he said. “That takes a load off the pastors and gets husbands and wives working together and involved in the church.”
Asking questions and listening to people has value. Once marriage mentors have some success caring for people in the church, word gets out and others in the community will talk to them about what marriage looks like and ask for skills training.
Wyoming Strong Families Team
Mike’s been told it’s a breath of fresh air to have someone to bounce ideas off. He can share success stories of things that have worked and give hope that what a leader tries can come off well. “That gives a church some momentum,” he added.
As part of the Marriage Challenge, Wyoming Strong Families offers four trainings for marriage leaders and discipleship:
Marriage Ministry Workshop - This interactive workshop will walk leaders through creating a marriage ministry tailored to a church with next steps to get started.
Marriage Mentor Training – The majority of struggling couples don't need to see professional counselors…They need a fresh perspective and tools to work through their differences in healthy ways. Marriage Mentors are trained to walk couple-to-couple, providing feedback, accountability and skills teaching over a 10-week period.
LifeLines – A skills course to help people feel confident responding to individuals in need to make sure no one has to navigate tough times alone.
Small Group Leader Training - The FamilyLife small group facilitator training is designed to help someone lead dynamic small group interactions. Small groups can foster a deep sense of community and lasting life transformation.
Churches also are encouraged to host a date night as a fun way to bring community members together and identify potential leaders. Mike’s working with a group in his small town of Douglas (population 5,000) whose five pastors developed an idea to collaborate. In September 2026, they’ll all offer a similar marriage sermon topic each Sunday, so the (Christian) community of Douglas will hear the same consistent message. The month will culminate with a date night event hosted by one of the churches. All five will be ready with next step resources to connect the attending couples to a church. “I am so excited people are jumping in,” Mike said.
The business community of Douglas also rallied in support of National Marriage Week in February 2026. The owner of Blend Coffee Co. has a heart for ministry and generously donated the use of her space for group showings of the NMW livestreams. Churches promoted it, and spots were featured on the local radio station. One of the banks advertised the event on their large electronic sign. The bank leader was willing to participate because he had attended an A Lasting Promise Christian relationship class Mike taught previously. The bank also allows Wyoming Strong Families to use a room for CMI meetings and a relationship class. “People came!” Mike said. “We’re starting the process of building a marriage movement. The willingness to be involved is very encouraging.”
Mike’s next idea is to recruit business leaders to sponsor prizes for couples who stamp a “passport” when they visit local restaurants for date-night meal packages. “This shows the business community that marriage has value, and married couples invest in the community,” he said.
Wyoming Strong Families actively recruits business support with appropriate Western-themed flair. Business can fund Big Game Partnerships in varied amounts. A $100 Jackrabbit donor can host a lunch and learn about the Wyoming Marriage Challenge, while a $2500 Moose donation sponsors a community date night. Mike has shared these ideas and other positive experiences across the state as he meets with new pastors and community leaders. It’s gratifying to see how God multiplies a relatively modest investment for great impact.
“I’m amazed over and over again at how the Lord’s opening doors,” he said. “When someone is obedient to the Lord and walks out the Christian life, that’s attractive and allows a person to influence other people’s lives.” Mike’s demonstrable walk of integrity gives people courage and willingness to provide him with a warm introduction to other connections. “When God opens the door so I get to talk to someone about Jesus, it keeps me humble and reminds me I’m not on my own.”
Mike has been encouraged by CMI meetings where he’s been reminded just to continue to do his part. “Talk to people, show up and care about them, and the increase will come. Listening to people is so close to loving them.”
Mike now considers his years working in the oil fields as time spent in the desert. “God used that time to work on my heart and live out the Gospel in front of people so when I yielded to the Lord, I was ready to step into ministry,” he said.
