Chile is a leader in South America: it has one of the strongest economies on the continent, it has the highest technology penetration, the leading literacy rate, is among the countries with the most universities per capita… and the list goes on and on.

April 2012 Family Statistics

But Chile is also leading in other areas. According to a April 2012 national report (in Spanish):

1. Chile's Civil Registry records 118 divorces for every 100 marriages.
2. Chile has the highest divorce rate in South America.
3. Chile has the fifth highest divorce rate in the world.

The report concludes with this statement: "According to our statistical analysis, we are experiencing the first wave of matrimonial ruptures, at levels absolutely unheard of before… all indicators lead us to believe that the next few months will unleash a tsunami of broken marriages across the country."

Unfortunately, Chile's leadership in this area is already affecting other countries in Latin America. Since the rest of the continent views Chilean culture as modern and progressive, our neighboring nations tend to view Chile's marriage crisis as "a regrettable advancement in the natural evolution of society." Their fatalistic attitude is "it may not be what we want, but that's where society is headed, so we may as well accept it. If you don't adapt, you will become a fossil."

October 2012 Family Statistics

An October 2012 report (in Spanish) from a group of experts specializing in divorce indicates that the tsunami is indeed on the rise:

1. Chile's Civil Registry records 154 divorces for every 100 marriages.
2. Chile's Civil Registry records 28 legal separations for every 10 marriages.
3. A marriage was legally terminated every 60 seconds in Chile (nearly double the 2010 figure).

The author stated: "In 2011, the figure was 202 couples initiating new divorce proceedings every day. Today [Jan. to June of 2012] that number has doubled to 401. Such a high index of legal separations has never been seen before."

Can you see where the trend is headed? They were right to call it a tsunami.

The Battle of Our Generation

It is on this front that God has called us to battle for the victory of the Church! Broken marriages weaken the Church, and it takes an enormous amount of resources to bring healing to the families involved. Broken marriages are disqualifying unprecedented numbers of men and women from church leadership. Drained of her resources, and with such a dismal forecast for raising up a new generation of leaders, what kind of a future does the Church have?

The "national marriage crisis," as it is known in Chile, is not just an unprecedented accumulation of individual failures, it is a key strategy of the enemy of the Church in his attempt to destroy the bride of Christ. We are hearing from missionaries and pastors throughout Latin America that their congregations are experiencing attacks on the family like never before.

The disintegration of the family is the weapon that is causing the worst damage to the body of Christ in Latin America today; nothing else even comes close! We must address this particular issue now. God has called and is equipping us for this task. Our hearts are ready, join us on your knees to bring victory to His Church in this area! (Read more)