About

With groups in over 50 cities across the U.S., our Peace after Divorce workshop program has proven to be a valuable and effective resource for participants in their quest for healing and hope.

Coping with the loss of your marriage and rediscovering joy in life is on the horizon—and our curriculum paves the way. Peace after Divorce offers a grace-filled, uplifting experience that promotes real action toward personal growth and healing. This is so much more than a divorce support group. We empower our participants to take practical steps, find hope, have faith, and feel better.

Peace after Divorce workshops are positive, dynamic educational programs intended for people who are ready to take inspired actions to move beyond the emotional impact of divorce. Our groups are open to individuals who are divorced, separated, or currently going through divorce.  Learn more below, find a group or learn how to start a group.

Led by Renee Smith Ettline, After Divorce Ministries was founded in 2011 to provide Christian love and prayerful healing to those hurting from a current or past divorce. Since then, the mission has expanded to equipping Christian churches with tools, materials, and resources to offer their community the highly-effective support group curriculum, Peace after Divorce. The program is based on Renee’s award-winning book by the same name.

Renee Smith Ettline, M.Ed. knows the pain of divorce firsthand.  And, she knows the despair Christians can experience when their marriages fail. More importantly, she knows the joy of sharing God’s healing grace with others.

As an educator, Christ follower, and award-winning author, Renee has led church-based divorce recovery workshops for many years.  She holds a M.Ed. in Student Personnel Services with a focus in Counseling. She has served as adjunct faculty teaching group guidance in the graduate degree program at The Citadel and has been recognized as Outstanding School Counselor of the Year.  That said, it is important to understand that Peace after Divorce is a Christian faith-based educational workshop and peer support group, it is not group counseling nor is it intended to stand in place of services provided by a licensed mental health counselor.

We believe the church can make a positive difference in the lives of those who are coping with divorce and seeking life after divorce. Theologically, the subject of divorce can be a sensitive one in the Christian community. To better help churches and their members decide if Peace after Divorce is a good fit for them, we are proudly transparent about our personal stance on the topic.

• We believe that divorce is not part of God’s plan and should never be taken lightly. Both partners have a responsibility to work together to create a loving and mutually respectful relationship within the marriage covenant.
• We acknowledge that there are circumstances where divorce is necessary⁠—thus creating a painful moral conflict for Christians. Many of these people desperately want their marriages to be healthy and find it hard to accept when divorce happens.
• We realize that faithful Christians can find themselves in situations where the unrepentant behavior or abuse on the part of their spouses makes their marriages intolerable, unhealthy, or unsafe.
• Divorce uproots families, causes pain and confusion, and wounds the soul. We believe that is why God hates divorce.
• While God hates divorce, we believe God does not hate divorced people. The love of God is always redemptive.
• We also believe that divorce can either turn people toward or away from God and the church. A nurturing, grace-filled ministry focused on healing from divorce can impact that choice in a positive way.
• We believe God offers all his children an invitation to walk in the light of his love. He is close to the brokenhearted. Nothing can separate us from the love of God.
• We believe that God is the great counselor and healer. Peace after Divorce group content provides a practical means for each person to process their emotions with God through prayer.
• We believe in redemption of the human soul. The Peace after Divorce workshop is not only a care ministry, it is also a faith-based healing program. We do not place judgement or condemnation on divorced people. Instead, we offer a grace-filled approach that is rooted in the love, compassion, and the redeeming power of Christ.