What if:
What if your marriage was never meant to end with you?
What if the love you nurture, the faith you live, and the home you build could become a beacon of hope in a world aching for redemption?
We believe marriage is more than a covenant — it’s a calling. A divine invitation to live the gospel daily, to outwork the Great Commission side by side. When couples walk in step with God’s mission, ordinary moments become eternal impact.
Marriage on Mission is a movement of families growing together and going together — homes marked by grace, purpose, and love. As each couple steps into their calling, neighbourhoods shift, generations heal, and the gospel reaches every corner of Aotearoa.
This is the mission.
This is the movement.
Marriage on Mission.
The Vision:
A two-day conference to inspire, equip, connect, and engage 200 marriages on mission across Aotearoa in 2025.
About The Conference
Marriage on Mission Conference is all about transforming everyday couples into intentional missionaries right in their own communities. We believe that family is a powerful, untapped resource for spreading good in the world. Our vision is to ignite a movement of marriages committed to following Jesus and the Great Commission — a movement of multiplying disciples who will reach the 1.7 million families who call New Zealand home. Our goal? To see every home become a godly home.
Inspire
Connect
Equip
Engage
Inspire
Connect
Equip
Engage
What to Expect - Schedule
Friday 12 September
Theme: “The Call & Commitment”
9:00 AM – 9:30 AM | Registration & Coffee
9:30 AM – 10:00 AM | Conference Opening & Worship
10:00 AM – 10:45 AM | Keynote 1:
“The Call to Go – Living the Great Commission”
10:45 AM – 11:15 AM | Morning Tea & Fellowship
11:15 AM – 12:00 PM | Panel Discussion:
“Stories of Impact – Couples on Mission”
12:00 PM – 12:45 PM | Workshop Session 1
12:45 PM – 2:00 PM | Lunch & Networking
2:00 PM – 2:45 PM | Keynote 2:
“Equipped for the Mission – Faith, Courage, & Action”
2:45 PM – 3:30 PM | Workshop Session 2
3:30 PM – 4:00 PM | Afternoon Tea & Fellowship
4:00 PM – 5:00 PM | Regional Breakout Groups & Prayer Circles
5:00 PM – 6:00 PM | Free Time & Freshen Up
6:00 PM – 9:00 PM | Vision Night Dinner
Theme: “Multiplying the Mission”
Saturday 13 September
Theme: “Action & Impact“
9:00 AM – 9:30 AM | Worship & Devotional
9:30 AM – 10:15 AM | Keynote 3:
“The Power of Two – Ministry as a Couple”
10:15 AM – 10:45 AM | Morning Tea & Fellowship
10:45 AM – 11:30 AM | Workshop Session 3
11:30 AM – 12:15 PM | Commitment Session:
“Stepping into the Mission Field”
12:15 PM – 1:30 PM | Lunch & Connection Time
1:30 PM – 2:30 PM | Closing Keynote:
“Sent with Power – Walking in the Spirit”
2:30 PM – 3:00 PM | Closing Worship, Prayer, & Commissioning
Vision: To inspire, equip, connect, and engage 200 guiding couples on mission across Oceania in 2025.
Marriage on Mission is a movement of families growing together and going together — homes marked by grace, purpose, and love. As each couple lives sent, neighbourhoods shift, generations heal, and the gospel reaches every corner of Aotearoa.
Our Speakers
Neil & Sharol Josephson
Equipping Couples & Church Leaders for Stronger Marriages
Neil and Sharol Josephson, Vice Presidents of FamilyLife Global Resourcing, are dedicated to strengthening marriages and equipping church leaders. Married since 1978, they bring decades of experience from leadership, pastoral ministry, and family coaching.
Their passion for marriage mentorship has led them to develop programs that empower couples to guide others, helping churches build thriving marriage ministries. Their engaging, practical approach has impacted countless relationships, making their sessions both inspiring and transformative.
Join Neil and Sharol at the Marriage on Mission conference to strengthen your marriage and ministry with wisdom, encouragement, and proven mentorship strategies.
Ron & Nan Deal
Strengthening Marriages with Faith & Wisdom
Ron and Nan Deal are passionate about equipping couples and pastors with practical, faith-based tools to build strong, lasting marriages. Ron, a licensed marriage and family therapist, bestselling author, and Director of FamilyLife Blended®, is a leading expert on stepfamilies and marriage enrichment. Nan, an experienced educator and ministry leader, has dedicated her life to mentoring women, supporting grieving parents, and guiding couples toward emotional healing and connection.
Their journey—marked by deep love, personal loss, and unwavering faith—fuels their mission to help couples grow in trust and resilience. Through engaging, research-backed insights, they empower relationships to thrive, even in life’s toughest seasons.
Tony Wee
Empowering Families, Expanding Global Impact
Tony Wee is the Executive Director of Field Expansion at FamilyLife, where he leads initiatives to extend the organization’s global reach and impact. With a Master of Divinity from Talbot School of Theology, Tony brings over two decades of experience in missionary work with Cru, specialising in evangelism, discipleship, and leadership development.
In his current role, Tony is focused on expanding FamilyLife’s presence globally, fostering partnerships, and developing strategies to help families thrive through biblical principles. He is passionate about equipping couples and parents to build strong, faith-centered relationships.
Nick & Sarah Field
Disciple-makers, church planters, and Biblical parenting trainers
Nick and Sarah Field are followers of Jesus Christ with a deep commitment to disciple-making and strengthening families. After 25 years pastoring a regional church in Wellington, their passion for the Great Commission now fuels a disciple-making and church-planting movement across Aotearoa and beyond. Sent from their home church, they train and coach Jesus-followers to reach the lost and raise up disciple-makers, aiming to see no place left where the gospel isn’t multiplying.
Now empty-nesters with three grandsons, Nick and Sarah are equally passionate about equipping parents with Biblical principles for raising children. Having raised their own kids in the faith, they developed Good Stuff Parenting—a program providing Biblical foundations and age-specific training for parents of children from birth through the teen years.
Aidan & Bonnie Shotbolt
Empowering Leaders and Strengthening Communities
Aidan and Bonnie Shotbolt are passionate leaders who are committed to the Great Commission. Together, they began serving in student ministry in 2005, and have been sharing the gospel with students, neighbours, family, and strangers since then. They have done outreach work in five countries, including taking their kids on both domestic and international mission trips. Aidan now oversees staff development at Tandem Ministries, while Bonnie invests in the next generation as an educator at Kingsway Christian School.
At the Marriage on Mission conference, Aidan and Bonnie will share their journey of faith, marriage and outreach, offering valuable insights into communicating the gospel together.
Wynand Jacobs
Helping couples grow Together and Impact their corner
For over 35 years, FamilyLife NZ has been bringing help and hope to couples across New Zealand. In 2019, Wynand Jacobs was called to lead the ministry into a new season, passionately championing the mission of seeing every home become a godly home. Through radio broadcasts, conferences, and practical resources, he inspires couples to experience lasting transformation in their relationships.
At the Marriage on Mission Conference, Wynand will share a compelling vision for the Great Commission — inviting couples to pursue what truly matters: a thriving relationship with Jesus, each other, and the world around them.
Register Interest
Registrations will be opening soon. Sign up to be the first to know when registration goes live and qualify for super early bird pricing.
Frequently Asked Questions
Marriage on Mission Conference is all about transforming everyday couples into intentional missionaries right in their own communities. We believe that family is a powerful, untapped resource for spreading good in the world. Our vision is to ignite a movement of marriages committed to following Jesus and the Great Commission — a movement of multiplying disciples who will reach the 1.7 million families who call New Zealand home. Our goal? To see every home become a godly home.
The Marriage on Mission Conference is two day event focused on equipping couples to strengthen their marriages and impact their communities through disciple-making, marriage mentoring, and family ministry.
The conference will be held from 12-13 September 2025 in Auckland, New Zealand (exact location TBC). There will be an additional day of ministry training on the 11th of September for pastors and ministry leaders and teams on building effective marriage ministry.
The conference features a powerful lineup of speakers:
- Ron & Nan Deal, experts in blended families and author of The Mindful Marriage;
- Neil & Sharol Josephson, global leaders in marriage mentoring and raising up homebuilders;
- Tony Wee, a global ministry strategist specialising in family discipleship;
- Nick & Sarah Field, Wellington-based disciple-makers, church planters, and Biblical parenting trainers;
- Adian & Bonnie Shotbolt, with over two decades of experiences in discipleship and living as a family on mission;
- Wynand Jacobs, Executive director for FamilyLife NZ with a vision to see revival across our nation – until every home is a godly home!
Couples who know that marriage is more than just a covenant, it’s a calling and want to learn how to work together as a team in the Great Commission to see communities reached with the good news of Jesus, ministry leaders, church staff, and anyone passionate about building stronger marriages and families and reaching their communities for Jesus.
Topics include:
- The Call to Live “Sent” – Living the Great Commission in our everyday lives
- The Power of Mentoring the Next Generation
- Reaching Blended Families with a Vision of Hope
- Creating a Culture of Disciple-Making in Your Home
- Sharing Your Personal Testimony and How to Present the Gospel in a non-weird way.
- The Power of Two – Ministry as a couple.
- Living on Mission – A vision to let your life and marriage make a difference where you are
Yes, we will be offering a children’s programme, with engaging, age-appropriate activities that align with the Great Commission vision you will be training on. More details to follow soon.
The conference is really designed to be attended as an immersive and transformational two-day experience for couples. The Friday night vision evening can be attended separately, and the Thursday 11th of September ministry training also stands on its own. Check the registration page for specific pricing and availability.
Not this year as our content focuses primarily on the context of marriage on mission. If you’re in a committed relationship but not yet married, you may also attend.
Yes, we will be offering a children’s programme, with engaging, age-appropriate activities that align with the Great Commission vision you will be training on. More details to follow soon.
No, the purpose of the conference is to gather these “marriage on mission” couples in person. If we’ve filled the event to capacity and there are more couples interested in attending, we may consider running additional sites via simulcast.
Registration will open soon. For now, you can register your interest so you’re notified once registration goes live to secure your spot. Early bird pricing will be available
Our basic registration includes morning and afternoon teas and Friday night dinner. You can order lunch as an additional add on, or arrange your own lunch on the day (either packed or purchased from a local cafe). We recommend choosing the lunch add-on to your ticket so you can maximise your time on site engaging with other marriage on mission couples throughout the event.
Absolutely. Marriage on Mission is all about communities of couples growing together and going together on mission. We will have a group discount available for ministries and small-groups of 5 or more couples (10- tickets).
Contact info@FamilyLife.nz for details.
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