Help for Christian Daters, From First Dates to the Wedding

The Short Version: Marriage Sharing is a comprehensive online hub for Christian couples and singles hoping to strengthen their relationships with themselves, with each other, and with God. The site is run by Chaplain Felice Mathieu, a Christian Marriage Coach. He told us about the website and the coaching he offers, and he shared advice for Christian daters on bringing their faith into the dating scene.

Dating works best when you know yourself and what you’re looking for, and those are big questions to answer. Plenty of self-discovery happens along the way, of course, but if you’re after healthy, secure relationships, you should go looking for them from a place that’s secure and healthy too.

Fortunately, the internet is full of resources, support, and education on healthy relationships, and daters get to choose the materials that resonate with them. Christian singles approach dating with a particular set of standards and a distinct view of what a fruitful relationship looks like, so they should lean on resources that share that perspective.

Chaplain Felice Mathieu, a Christian Marriage Coach, is the voice behind Marriage Sharing. It’s a one-stop online destination where Christian singles can keep faith at the center of dating and marriage.

Felice walked us through some of the areas where Christian daters look for support, and what Christian singles should keep in mind while searching for a spouse who will lift them up and nurture them.

“Marriage Sharing is a great online resource for dating from a Christian perspective,” Felice said. “We touch on all stages of relationships– everything from dating to marriage.”

Guiding Couples Through Faith-Centered Relationships

“I’ve been looking at relationships and marriages for a while, and every time, it’s really nothing new,” Felice said. “The number one problem for most couples is communication and a lot of other things settle under that umbrella.”

Communication, in all its forms, is a major focus of Marriage Sharing’s resources. When couples build healthy communication habits early in a relationship, they’ll run into fewer communication problems down the road.

Chaplain Felice Mathieu helps Christian couples on the road to marriage and after the wedding.

Christians who are dating often look for guidance that weaves in elements of their faith and offers advice grounded in them. Felice said Christians should turn to faith-based resources first and make sure those resources match their beliefs.

“Everyone experiences the same issues in relationships, and different people call these problems different things,” Felice said. “Whether it’s selfishness, or lying, or cheating, it doesn’t matter what religion you are, I think we just turn to a different source for solutions.”

Resources for Every Step on the Way to Marriage

The blog articles on Marriage Sharing tackle a range of topics that matter to Christian couples and daters. Recent posts include “20 Bible Verses for Long Distance Relationships” and “How Do You Date in NYC in Your 30s?”

The posts give readers a Christian take on common dating questions, along with topics aimed at Christian couples, such as “What Are Some Bible Verses for My Husband?” and “What Does the Bible Say About Sexless Marriage?”

Marriage Sharing serves Christian couples and singles who have marriage in mind.

The site sorts its resources into categories, so couples and singles at various points in their journey can find what’s helpful to them. Among the categories are Getting Married and Married Life.

Under the Getting Married category, couples will find resources on dating, engagement, and marriage preparation. For almost every high and low a couple might face, Marriage Sharing has a reflection, blog post, or educational resource.

Married couples can explore the Married Life section, which covers communication, love, and respect. It was built for couples who want to keep up with the everyday maintenance of their marriage.

Spiritual Guidance Makes Couples Stronger

According to Felice, Christian daters get the most out of dating when they stay connected to who they are and the kind of person they want, and to how both are shaped by their faith and the way they express it.

“People quickly find, once they’re in a relationship and not single anymore, specifically once they’re married, that real relationships test your character in a lot of different ways,” Felice said.

Finding fault in a partner can come quickly, but Felice said strong marriages form when each partner examines their own flaws first. “True, great relationships and being great for your partner revolves around progressive and consistent character development. It’s about the inner work,” he told us.

Christian couples can turn to Marriage Sharing for coaching, community support groups, and blog posts.

Marriage Sharing and Felice support Christian marriages with more than blog posts and educational resources. For couples who need more help, Felice provides marriage coaching, and he can also refer couples to therapy and other forms of counseling.

Everything Marriage Sharing offers is aimed at helping married couples who love, support, and lift each other up. Even the strongest couples and marriages hit rough patches, and those stretches often call for extra care so the relationship can make it through.

“Personally, I believe a relationship with someone perfect for you is going to highlight the imperfect areas of yourself,” Felice said. “It’s about developing a mentality of ‘we,’ rather than ‘me.’ because it’s not just about you anymore. It’s about the whole– your marriage– and what’s good for it.”