The National Alliance for Relationship and Marriage Education (NARME) Summit convened July 8–11, 2026, at the Inverness Hotel, bringing together researchers, educators, practitioners, government officials, policymakers, and community leaders from across the country under the inspiring theme, “Hope in Action: Transforming Marriage and Families.” The annual, sold-out gathering emphasized that strengthening marriages and families is not merely a personal aspiration but a public good with far-reaching benefits for children, adults, and communities.
Throughout the summit, speakers explored the science of hope as a powerful driver of resilience and human flourishing. Hope is more than optimism; research defines it as the belief that meaningful goals are attainable, paired with the motivation and practical pathways to achieve them. By cultivating hope among individuals, couples, and families, relationship education equips people with communication skills, conflict management strategies, and a shared purpose that foster stronger, healthier relationships.
The Summit also addressed the growing crisis of loneliness, anxiety, and depression among Americans of all ages. Social isolation has emerged as a defining public health challenge of our time, contributing to poorer physical and mental health outcomes. Presenters emphasized the importance of close, committed relationships as a source of belonging, emotional support, and resilience. Healthy marriages and strong family bonds can help buffer stress, reduce isolation, and promote overall well-being throughout the lifespan. Researchers presented empirical data showing that healthy marriage is a prosocial protective factor that reduces poverty, crime, homelessness, violence, academic failure, obesity, economic inequality, and many other entrenched societal issues.
Participants examined long-term demographic trends, including a substantial decline in marriage rates over the past several decades, along with delayed family formation and rising family instability. While recognizing the diverse circumstances individuals face, Summit presenters emphasized that these trends have significant social consequences. Declining marriage has coincided with rising economic inequality, greater social fragmentation, and fewer stable support systems for many adults and children.
While escorting the presenter, Dr. Gary Chapman, the author of the global best-selling book The Five Love Languages, from the airport, I was struck by how young and vibrant he is at 88. When I asked him how he maintains the stamina and energy to speak (on average) 80 times a year at various national venues, he said that imparting the skills to children and adults to love well gives him purpose and meaning, a key domain of human flourishing and resilience.
A central message of the conference was the enduring value and legacy of marriage and family formation. Decades of research show that healthy, stable marriages increase important protective benefits for both spouses and their children. Children raised in stable, nurturing two-parent families, on average, achieve better educational outcomes, enjoy improved physical and emotional health, and are less likely to experience poverty or involvement in the justice system. Adults in healthy marriages likewise tend to report greater life satisfaction, better health, greater financial stability, and stronger social connections. Communities also benefit from higher levels of civic engagement, stronger neighborhoods, and lower social costs associated with family instability.
Rather than focusing solely on challenges, the NARME Summit emphasized practical solutions. Relationship education, mentoring, faith and community partnerships, and evidence-informed programs can strengthen couples before and throughout marriage. By investing in prevention and education, communities can help individuals develop the skills needed to build lasting, healthy relationships. Many speakers discussed using Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), the welfare block grant to each state, to support job preparation, marriage education, and efforts to reduce non-marital pregnancies and increase the number of two-parent families, which is the original legislative intent of TANF.
As attendees departed the Inverness Hotel, the conference theme, “Hope in Action: Transforming Marriage and Families,” served as both an invitation and a challenge. Hope becomes transformative when put into action through education, service, and supportive relationships. By strengthening marriages, empowering families, and fostering healthy communities, NARME continues to advance a vision in which hope is not merely an ideal but a catalyst for human flourishing across generations. Let’s work together to make marriage and family formation cool. joneen@narme.org