With America’s birthrate falling and young adults increasingly struggling with loneliness, one Christian organization says the solution to the nation’s family crisis may lie in the local church.

Communio, a nonprofit focused on strengthening marriages and relationships, is launching a nationwide “Family and Civilization” campaign. It is calling on pastors and churches to take a more active role in helping young people pursue marriage, build healthy relationships and create strong families.

The campaign comes as the U.S. fertility rate has fallen to about 1.6 births per woman, well below the level needed for a generation to replace itself without immigration.

“For every 200 people in a population, they’ll be replaced by only 157,” Communio founder and president J.P. De Gance told Fox News Digital. “We’re at the cusp of a major civilizational bottleneck.”

But De Gance argues that reversing the trend requires more than political solutions. Instead, he believes churches can help by changing how Christians talk about marriage and family, particularly with young adults.

“Our message to churches is we should be helping,” he said.

De Gance said parents and churches often encourage young people to pursue college degrees and successful careers, while placing less emphasis on building relationships and preparing for marriage.

A 2023 Pew Research Center survey found that parents placed far greater importance on their children becoming financially independent and finding satisfying careers than on eventually marrying or having children.

“Our young people are actually doing what they’re being taught to do,” De Gance said. “They’re seeking material well-being over and above these enduring, lifelong goods of close connection through marriage and family.”

Communio wants churches to present a positive vision of Christian marriage from the pulpit. De Gance said 85% of churches spend nothing on marriage and relationship ministry, while 91% offer nothing specifically for singles.

As an immediate step, pastors can “preach aspirationally about the beauty of Christian marriage,” he said.

De Gance pointed to Ephesians 5, where the Apostle Paul uses marriage to illustrate Christ’s sacrificial love for the Church. Pastors, he said, can help Christians see marriage not simply as another life milestone but as something worth intentionally preparing for and pursuing.

The campaign also encourages churches to create more opportunities for young adults to meet face-to-face and form genuine friendships rather than relying primarily on dating apps.

“Church should be a venue where young people meet, form community and have fun outside of spiritual and faith formation,” De Gance said. “The local church used to be the hub for civic life.”

Despite declining marriage and birth rates, De Gance remains optimistic that the trend can change.

He believes Christians who model strong marriages and thriving families can help others rediscover their value — and that churches are uniquely positioned to lead that renewal.

“It’s going to bring about a significant renewal and revival in the West,” he said. “We think that the church can accelerate that.”