A Gallup poll in May found that divorce in the United States had become less of a moral issue. The findings show that 70 percent of those surveyed consider divorce morally acceptable, compared with 59 percent in 2001.

The norm in today's society is that one out of two marriages end in divorce. "For the first time in 2005, there is more divorce inside the body of Christ than there is outside of it," says Pastor Jim McGaffin of Omaha.

McGaffin and other Omaha pastors Channel 6 News spoke with say that the church is responding more than ever to the needs of those who are affected by divorce.

Dr. Curt Dodd of Omaha's Westside Church recalls the time when "divorce was almost a red letter sin, sort of like adultery in the Hawthorne novel The Scarlet Letter."

"The norm is families that have begun again and they may have several parents and several stepchildren, stepbrothers and so the blended family really is it seems like the norm in culture today," says Dr. Dodd.

Westside Church and a number of other churches offer a program called DivorceCare. The weekly ministry provides counseling for both adults and children who are affected by divorce.

"People are undergoing a tremendous amount of stress before they walk in the door and they're just looking for someone that might be willing to listen for awhile and tell their story and kind of unload some of that grief as they tell it," says Arlan Schweitz, DivorceCare counselor at Christ Community Church in Omaha.

Schweitz says many of the people who attend the DivorceCare meetings actually attend other churches and some live in communities an hour away from Omaha.

At Pilgrim Baptist Church in Omaha, Pastor Cedric Perkins emphasizes ongoing marriage counseling and marriage retreats. "When communication breaks down in a marriage, that's when you start on the path of going your separate ways, so communication is the key in order to prevent that from happening."

Two newlywed couples Channel 6 News spoke with agree that communication will be the key in maintaining a strong marriage. Both Luke and Jessica Sheridan and Brian and Risa Leinen participated in pre-marriage counseling in the Catholic Church.

They describe a portion of the course as "issue oriented." "They push the issues and almost try to get you in a fight," says Risa Leinen.

Jessica Sheridan says the counseling included "stuff that I never would have thought to talk about, but then you do and it's like oh, maybe we should have talked about that."

Both couples say they are aware of the high divorce rate in the United States and will honor their vows of a lifelong commitment. "In a relationship, it takes commitment and commitment doesn't kick in when things are going well," says Pastor Perkins. "Commitment kicks in when things get rough."

But acknowledging America's 50 percent divorce rate, Dr. Dodd says, "I do know that any church that is a growing church is going to target that population because people are more open for spiritual things when they deal with pain and when they deal with change they deal with challenges, so if a local church is going to have a great ministry, they're going to look at those elements in people's lives and jump right in there and I've watched that occur across denominational lines."

Click here for a list of churches offering the Divorce Care program.