Equip Your Leaders to Care Well
for Others and Themselves
We help pastors and ministry leaders build spiritual and emotional resilience to love others deeply without burning out.
The Church Cares for Everyone—But Who Cares for the Church?
Ministry is sacred and heavy work. Every pastor, small group leader, and ministry director carries stories of grief, conflict, and hope. They sit with others in crisis, yet often feel illequipped or alone in their own care.
ReStory changes that. Our courses help ministry leaders learn how to hold space for others, understand their own story, and continue in ministry renewed, wise, and whole.
Our Core Courses for Ministry Leaders
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For pastors, small group leaders, ministry staff, and anyone who walks with hurting people.
Learn to offer care that’s deeper than advice and stronger than empathy.
This course equips leaders to:
▶︎ Understand the theology of presence and suffering
▶︎ Recognize their own story’s impact on how they care for others
▶︎ Build emotional stamina for long-term ministry
Available as:
▶︎ On-demand online course
▶︎ Live cohort experience
▶︎ Group licensing for churches
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For ministry teams who want to care with greater self-awareness.
Before you can guide others into transformation, you must know your own story. This foundational course introduces the principles of storywork—the heart of ReStory’s approach to transformation.
This course equips leaders to:
▶︎ Learn how to identify and read the formative stories of your life
▶︎ Deepen your understanding of the power of “withness”
▶︎ Gain tools for how to listen to story, both your own and others’
Available as:
▶︎ On-demand online course
▶︎ Group licensing for churches
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For pastors, missionaries, and ministry leaders stepping back to rest.
Sabbath is not a luxury—it’s leadership. This course helps leaders prepare for, experience, and return from sabbatical with clarity and renewal.
Includes:
▶︎ A self-paced sabbatical preparation and reflection course
▶︎ Optional coaching with a ReStory Storywork coach
▶︎ In person opportunities in Colorado
Available as:
▶︎ On-demand online course
▶︎ Virtual coaching sessions
▶︎ Optional in person intensive
Simple to Launch. Transformational to Experience.
Churches and ministries use these courses to:
▶︎ Train small group or care leaders
▶︎ Strengthen staff emotional health
▶︎ Equip elders or ministry teams
▶︎ Build sabbatical rhythms into leadership life
Each course is plug-and-play with:
▶︎ Video lessons and discussion guides
▶︎ Leader resources and facilitation tools
▶︎ Group and cohort pricing
Help Your Leaders Stay Whole So They Can Help Others Heal
Healthy ministry flows from healthy leaders. Whether your team needs renewal, new tools for care, or a deeper understanding of story, ReStory offers theologically grounded, emotionally wise resources designed for the realities of ministry life.
Ministry Leaders Value the Training
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Sitting in the Dirt is a concept that in many ways has been trained out of us pastors. This course has the incredible ability to retrain your mind and still that voice inside that tells you to fix people.
Andrew Acuna, Pastor
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If you long to be a safe place for those you shepherd, “sitting in the dirt” with them is necessary. I wish everyone in ministry could learn from these wise guides. I highly recommend this course to anyone who is walking alongside other people as they seek to grow.
Londa Wagner, Campus Ministry HR
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Sitting in the Dirt is a must have resource for anyone who is serious about loving people the way Jesus loved people. It is so profound, yet so practical. It truly is helping me to reframe how I engage with the people that I pastor.
Tyrell Blauvelt, Men’s Pastor
Strengthen Marriages,
Strengthen the Church
Thrive Marriage is a ready-to-use program designed for pastors and trusted by couples.
Pastors carry the weight of shepherding marriages, but often lack the time, training, or resources to guide couples well.
You want to see couples in your church thrive, but preparing and leading marriage programs takes time you don’t have.
Counseling couples one by one isn’t sustainable.
Your leaders need tools that are biblical, trustworthy, and ready to use.
We get it.
You are stretched.
From Counseling Rooms to Church Communities
For more than 15 years, ReStory Counseling has walked with couples through seasons of struggle and hope. Out of this work, we created a program that empowers churches to multiply impact.
Rooted in Storywork, informed by Scripture, and shaped by years of counseling hundreds of couples, ReStory created Thrive Marriage Program with pastors and ministry leaders in mind.
A program that’s ready to launch
Thrive Marriage gives your church a plug-and-play curriculum that equips leaders and transforms couples. Built on years of counseling experience, it integrates gospel truth with proven marriage categories for growth.
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Pastors can’t do it all. And lay leaders do not need to be counselors! With our training videos, leader workbooks, and group leading guides, you can develop a marriage ministry in no time.
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We have intentionally created 12 modules of teaching starting with something we all struggle with—conflict— and then going deep into family of origin, attachment, sexuality, and more. We’ve arranged these 12 teachings into 4 different pathways for you to choose: 12 months, 2 semesters, Weekend Retreats (level 1 and 2 or Fall and Spring), and Premarital.
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Not only do we provide the teaching, the private discussion for couples, group discussion, and reflection— we also include a guided date for couples to do on their own to continue to discuss the material as it uniquely pertains to their relationship.
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12 Modules of Teaching
What does a marriage really need to grow more connected? Not tips and techniques, but individual understanding of how your family of origin shaped how you fight, attach, attune, and communicate. We bring the counseling room to the screen and teach couples that there is more to the story than their present struggles.
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12 Guided Dates
For each module, we’ve created 3-5 page curated date guides. We want couples to spend time alone processing, digesting, and incorporating what they’ve heard in the teaching or discussed at church. We all learn from different methods, and in our date guides, we provide a variety of ideas for couples to go deeper.
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Leader Training
We want to equip leaders who don’t have counseling degrees to guide couples into thriving marriages. Each module includes a separate video for leaders on what to be aware of and how to approach the topic. We also provide a 100-page leadership workbook and a group dynamic guide to make leading easy.
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Flexible Tracks
Every church is unique. That’s why we arrange all of our material into FOUR pathways: Premarital Coaching, 12-months, Semester Class or Small Group, and Weekend Retreats. We make implementing Thrive Marriage accessible and replicable so that you can focus on the things you do best.
Trusted by Churches and Couples
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Thrive provided a great framework to facilitate with limited counseling experience.
Eric and Nikki Sartin, Lay Church Leaders
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We are so grateful to the depth of healing that has occurred since diving into Thrive.
Pete and Christine Torrey, Marriage Mentors
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Exactly what we were looking for: a curriculum that gives couples a map for how to establish a deeply connected marriage.
Mike Filicicchia, Church Planter
You Don’t Have to Reinvent the Wheel
Give couples in your church a clear path toward healthier, stronger marriages.
Book a demo call today.
FAQs
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Thrive Marriage is a ready-to-use curriculum for churches that equips leaders and strengthens couples. It includes leader guides, participant workbooks, teaching videos, discussion questions, and curated date guides designed for group use in a church setting.
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Most marriage programs offer surface-level advice or one-size-fits-all content. Thrive Marriage is built on years of counseling experience, integrates biblical teaching with Storywork, and helps couples get to the root of their patterns — not just quick fixes.
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This program is for pastors and church leaders who want a plug-and-play resource for small groups, marriage ministries, or church-wide campaigns. It works well for couples at any stage of marriage — from newlyweds to long-time partners.
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Minimal. Leaders receive a clear session guide and training video. Most leaders can be ready to facilitate after one prep session. You don’t need to be a counselor to lead this program.
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Leader’s Videos and Workbooks as well as “How to lead a group”
Participant Workbooks and Curated Date Guides
Teaching Videos (streaming or downloadable)
Discussion Questions + Group Activities within the workbooks
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Thrive Marriage is an intentional pathway toward a deeper, more connected marriage. The program includes 12 teaching modules ideal for a traditional mentorship program. However, recognizing every church is different, we have built in flexibility for churches to adapt it to weekend workshops, midweek groups, retreats, or premarital classes.
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Licensing depends on group size and format. We’ll walk through options on the demo call so you can choose what fits your church best. We start at $675 for five leaders.
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We offer marriage counseling intensives, Storywork coaching for couples, story-informed therapy, and a live cohort of the same Thrive Marriage material for couples who want to go deeper. These are available through ReStory Counseling.
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Great! Thrive Marriage can supplement what you’re doing. Many churches use it as a “next step” after premarital classes, or as an annual touchpoint for couples in their congregation.
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Yes. On the demo call, we’ll show you sample sessions, leader materials, and videos so you can see how it works.
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ReStory Counseling, a counseling and Storywork center that has helped individuals and couples for more than a decade. Our team of licensed counselors and Storywork coaches developed this program out of years of real-life experience helping couples thrive.
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Book a Demo Call — we’ll walk you through the program.
Purchase Access — receive all resources digitally.
Equip Your Leaders — short training provided.
Launch in Your Church — and watch couples grow.