Ep 54 JP De Gance Wednesday, March 4, 2026 Marriage is tough, and anybody who makes it five minutes past the honeymoon knows what that's about. That's why we're excited about a new national ministry coming alongside churches to help couples not only stay married, but even enjoy it! Welcome to The Next Stage – a podcast that helps you live a life of purpose born out of a deep sense of your identity as a man created in God's image. Today, our guest is JP De Gance, President of a ministry called "Communio" which helps churches foster healthy relationships for better marriages and stronger families. JP is the co-author of the book, "Endgame: The Church's Strategic Move to Save Faith and Family in America." The Next Stage helps men live lives of purpose, born out of their identity as men created in God's image. The Next Stage is available in both video and audio formats like Apple Podcast, Spotify, YouTube, and more. For more information about Rob Stout or The Next Stage team, visit SherpaUnlimited.com/podcast. For any resources mentioned in today's program, be sure to check out the show notes, which are embedded in this episode. Also, please take a moment to give this podcast a five-star rating, a like, and a share to your friends on Linked IN, Facebook, and Instagram. And be sure to hit that Subscribe button. The Next Stage Podcast for Men is recorded in Erie, Colorado and produced by Christopher Mann at the ReSermon studio in Fort Wayne, Indiana. For more information visit ReSermon.com. Whether you are at the gym, on a flight, driving to an appointment, or just chilling out, this podcast is a resource to help men get to the next level. Welcome to The Next Stage. About J.P. De Gance J.P. De Gance is the founder and president of Communio and the co-author of the book, Endgame: The Church's Strategic Move to Save Faith and Family in America. JP is also the author of the Nationwide Study on Faith and Relationships. Communio is a ministry originally incubated as the Culture of Freedom Initiative at The Philanthropy Roundtable where he served as the organization's executive vice president. The Initiative raised and spent $20 million over three years in three different states seeking to identify the most effective strategies to boost marital health, family stability, and church engagement. From 2016 to 2018, the experimental initiative worked with an ecumenical network of churches and drove down the divorce rate by 24 percent in Jacksonville, FL. Today, Communio serves churches across the United States helping them evangelize by applying the learnings from their successful intervention in Jacksonville. A husband and father, JP lives in Virginia with his wife and eight children. Resources mentioned in this episode The Bible: https://www.biblegateway.com/. Communio. https://communio.org. "We help churches strengthen marriages and relationships: because when homes are whole, your church grows strong and the mission moves forward." Jacksonville's Divorce Decline: 5 Questions With Family Studies, by Alysse El Hage. October 18, 2019. https://ifstudies.org/blog/jp-de-gance-on-jacksonvilles-divorce-decline-5-questions-with-family-studies. J.P. De Gance on Linked IN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/j-p-degance-5998748/. Endgame: The Church's Strategic Move to Save Faith and Family in America, by John Van Epp and J.P. De Gance. https://www.amazon.com/Endgame-Churchs-Strategic-Family-America/dp/1737565609/ref=sr_1_1?crid=S7SQXLRLAJ7R&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.Tl5HhjIX7rgtRH1f7k0oS_5-KFBzY_eF3uX6e5YhIDfGjHj071QN20LucGBJIEps.BJ9H9ZTrfCyTwp8lFTjIrapHcVe5KHDpihGPeROv1cY&dib_tag=se&keywords=end+game+j.p.+de+gance&qid=1770146779&sprefix=end+game+j.p.+de+gance%2Caps%2C137&sr=8-1 Podcast Platforms YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SherpaUnlimited Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-next-stage-podcast-by-sherpa5280/id1726070899 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0pFp6LQfxC9NNZKeZqPtRW?flow_ctx=6d430aa6-a08c-449d-8ad0-95e0568468ee%3A1739839212 Social Media Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SherpaUnlimited LinkedIN: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sherpa-5280 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sherpa_unlimited/ Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/SherpaUnlimited/ About Sherpa Unlimited Personal Coaching for Men It's your life, and you get one shot to summit it. The mountain of life includes slippery footing, tottering boulders, and thinning air. You're strong and capable but are you fully equipped to successfully summit this mountain? You don't need clichés, pity, or cheerleader banter. You need the fellowship of wise men who walk with wise men; and we need you. (See Proverbs 15:22.) The Next Stage Podcast is produced by Sherpa Unlimited and hosted by Rob Stout. Learn more at TheNextStage@SherpaUnlimited.com or visit www.SherpUnlimited.com. About Team Sherpa. Rob Stout, Founder of Sherpa Unlimited LLC and Editor in Chief of The Next Stage podcast for men. Rob holds a bachelor's degree from Bowling Green State University and a master's degree from Denver Seminary where he specialized in leadership and organizational transformation. He is a Certified Life Coach from Life Coach Institute. Rob has served for over 30 years in leadership, teaching, and coaching roles in numerous business and non-profit organizations with a focus on helping men navigate some of life's most hazardous and critical areas. Rob and Nicole have been married since 1994 and live in Erie, Colorado. They have three grown daughters and one grandchild. https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-stout-77ab90b/ Christopher Mann, Producer. Chris Mann produces The Next Stage in the ReSermon Studio of Fort Wayne, Indiana. www.ReSermon.com. http://www.linkedin.com/in/christophermanncom. About Getting Even: Countering Life's Hard Knocks, by Rob Stout. Getting Even: Countering Life's Hard Knocks (LifeRich, 2020) by Rob Stout is available in hard cover, paperback, and Kindle. What do you do when life punches you in the gut? Some men medicate with alcohol, sex, gaming, food, blame, and the rest. Getting Even meets a man in the middle of life's hard knocks and embarks on a journey to fight back, reflect, recalibrate, and move forward. Author Rob Stout has experienced his own hard knocks and transparently shares his journey of recovery and method for moving forward. Get your copy here: https://www.amazon.com/Getting-Even-Countering-Lifes-Knocks/dp/1489728740/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1703170871&sr=1-1. www.SherpaUnlimited.com/podcasts
