About

Church Initiative is a nondenominational, nonprofit ministry serving over 30,000 churches worldwide. From its headquarters in Wake Forest, North Carolina, the ministry creates and publishes video-based curriculums to help churches minister to people experiencing life crises.

Churches offer our programs in thirteen-week cycles that can continue throughout the year, creating an ongoing, lay-led ministry and care environment.

The Church Initiative Story

Circa 1993 video editing suite
First shipment of DivorceCare, 1994

Church Initiative was born out of Steve and Cheryl Grissom’s journey of pain and loss. Although they found support in the local church, they realized that an untapped opportunity existed—equipping local churches to offer practical support groups to minister to people facing major life disruptions.

Armed with a new mission, Steve and Cheryl left their careers in broadcasting and pharmacy to pursue full-time ministry—what would eventually become Church Initiative. What began as a two-person nonprofit, today has over 30 team members and an international impact.

From the beginning, Church Initiative has combined a unique set of talents: Steve’s journalism and business background and his deep passion for ministry. The result—a video-based series built around small group discussion, personal reflection, and a lay-led support structure.

In addition to the release of DivorceCare in 1994, Church Initiative has published three more major curriculums: GriefShare in 1998, DivorceCare for Kids in 2004, and Single & Parenting in 2011. The ministry has also released periodic updates to the curriculums, including recent versions for DivorceCare in 2012 and GriefShare in 2014.

Over the years, Church Initiative has remained committed to its central goal of equipping churches for frontline ministry to people experiencing life crises. Because many Church Initiative team members have a past that includes pain and loss, they wake up each day eager to come to work and see what the Lord will do next. Church Initiative’s staff seek to equip churches to comfort others with the comfort they have received (2 Corinthians 1:3–4).

Timeline

1994

The DivorceCare curriculum is released, and pioneering DivorceCare groups meet for the first time.

1996

Release of Before You Divorce curriculum, built on reconciliation concepts from DivorceCare.

1998

GriefShare is released.

2000

Facing Forever is released, a curriculum designed to encourage people to see how eternity impacts their lives today.

2002

Release of Chance to Change, gambling addiction recovery curriculum.

2003

Church Initiative purchases and renovates former Wake Forest hospital for ministry headquarters.

2004

DivorceCare for Kids and second edition of DivorceCare released.

2006

Second edition of GriefShare released.

2008

Release of DivorceCare and GriefShare Surviving the Holidays programs.

2011

Single & Parenting curriculum released.

2012

Third edition of DivorceCare released.

2014

Third edition of GriefShare released.

2015

Second edition of DivorceCare and GriefShare Surviving the Holidays released.

2019

GriefShare Loss of Spouse program released.

2020

Fourth edition of DivorceCare released.

2020

Third edition of DivorceCare Surviving the Holidays released.

Staff

Interested in working with us?

When we have open positions, we post them to our Careers page.

Statement of faith

1. We believe the Bible to be the inspired, the only infallible, authoritative Word of God.

2. We believe that there is one God, eternally existent in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

3. We believe in the deity of our Lord Jesus Christ, His virgin birth, in His sinless life, in His miracles, in His vicarious and atoning death through His shed blood, in His bodily resurrection, in His ascension to the right hand of the Father, and in His personal return in power and glory.

4. We believe that for the salvation of lost and sinful man, regeneration by the Holy Spirit is absolutely essential.

5. We believe in the present ministry of the Holy Spirit by whose indwelling the Christian is enabled to live a godly life.

6. We believe in the resurrection of both the saved and the lost: they that are saved unto the resurrection of life and they that are lost unto the resurrection of damnation.

7. We believe in the spiritual unity of believers in our Lord Jesus Christ.

8. We acknowledge Scripture’s teaching that human sexual activity is a gift from God, intended to be expressed within the sacred covenant of marriage between one biological man and one biological woman.

Adopted from the Statement of Faith of the National Association of Evangelicals


Our Approach To Healing

At Church Initiative, we equip Christian churches and select parachurch ministries to share God’s love and comfort to all who have experienced painful, life altering events, regardless of individual beliefs or backgrounds. To accomplish this mission in a way that we believe provides the most complete approach to healing, we have designed our content to be consistent with the truths outlined in Scripture and expressed in our Statement of Faith. While our resources are universally beneficial, it is important to recognize that the insights and perspectives we share are the product of a biblical worldview.

Parachurch Ministries

While Church Initiative exists first and foremost as a church equipping ministry, we recognize the valuable role of some parachurch organizations in providing complimentary support to their communities. In select circumstances, and at our sole discretion, we are open to extending the availability of our resources to parachurch organizations. However, it is imperative for these organizations to have a church sponsor. This church sponsorship is not merely a formality; it ensures that there is pastoral oversight for the facilitation and integrity of the programs offered by the parachurch ministry. This collaboration between church and parachurch organizations is crucial for creating a consistent, nurturing, and faith-centered environment for all participants seeking comfort and healing in their grief journey.