Have you ever wished you could follow the footsteps of the Apostle Paul? Walk on Mars Hill where he gave his famous speech inviting listeners to consider an unknown God? Visit Ephesus where he penned his famous words about marriage? If so, you are not alone. Marquise and Krystal Cox lead intimate groups on overseas trips that not only trace Paul’s journey but add another dimension – marriage skills building for the traveling couples. While the Bible Tour is open to singles and couples, the Coxes, founders of More 2 Marriage ministry, layer marriage material on top of scriptural insight.

“It’s a Bucket List trip couples want to take,” Marquise said. A local guide presents an overview of the historical significance of each site, then Marquise steps in as a pastor to explain the biblical meaning.

“Learning about the Bible with this backdrop – there’s a real-time connection,” Marquise said. “We were actually in the cave of John the apostle!” He and Krystal wrote a trip companion workbook to provide commentary, tools, exercises and application questions to spark conversations. Later in breakout sessions, couples share testimonials and talk about ways to enrich their marriages. Sometimes just watching others helps break down barriers. It creates a ripple effect when couples start opening up and holding hands, they share.

“We love the intimacy of what we get to create,” Krystal said. “We hear the stories and ask questions as we are around each other.” “There’s a giddiness about taking a vacation together,” Marquise added. “Couples let their guard down when they are out of their environment. It’s like a summer camp mentality. They want to have fun and connect. We want to capture that built-in expectancy.” There’s also room to draw back for a private dinner or explore by themselves in places like “sexy Santorini,” or customize their trip with cooking classes or bespoke chocolate delivered to their room, Marquise added.

Participants travel together on a small cruise ship, so there’s no need for continual repacking. The tours are arranged by Wilcox Travel and run every other year, with the next one in spring 2027, which consists of 11 days traveling through Greece and Macedonia, with an optional three-day extension in Rome.

“God is doing something with this we’re still working on,” Krystal added. “We’ve been blown away.” Interested? Find out more at https://www.wilcoxtravel.com/greece-more-2-marriage. In the alternate years the Coxes don’t travel overseas, they lead a marriage conference complete with expert therapists and marriage leader speakers at the JW Marriott in San Antonio.

Marquise and Krystal want people to know there is MORE to marriage than a mundane, lifeless relationship. Whether inspiring singles, counseling those considering marriage, or walking alongside couples, the Coxes offer biblical tools and experiences through their More 2 Marriage ministry to help couples learn how to thrive.

The Coxes’ wisdom belies their youthful appearance. Although they’ve been married just a dozen years, they felt the call to ministry at a young age. Marquise, now the Campus Pastor for Community Bible Church (CBC) Northside, remembers his grandmother planting the seed of future pastorship in his heart. After giving his life to Jesus at 16, Marquise realized if he could have just one conversation with someone, he’d “want to tell them about Jesus.” He started being discipled by his pastor at the tender age of 18, began serving and eventually earned a Biblical and Theology Degree from Liberty University. When the two met, Krystal was studying Biology with an eye toward becoming a pediatrician. But like Marquise, her mother, an evangelist, also saw something in Krystal that led her to prophesy a vocation of ministry over her life. When she met Marquise, God was already stirring Krystal’s heart that her path was to be teaching, leading and discipling women. Eventually, Krystal obtained a Master’s Degree in Divinity from Liberty. “I thank God for gripping my heart to be able to go after God’s will,” she said.

In 2019, the Coxes were on vacation with friends who challenged them with the question, “Outside of the church, what else do you feel God has called you to do on this earth?” They both responded spontaneously that they wanted to help people have healthier marriages. “Something was stirring in us as individuals, and when we came together, that affirmed it,” Marquise said. When they returned to their home church in Georgia, the same friends reached out and told them the Lord was asking them to keep Marquise and Krystal accountable with what they’d shared. Their support led the Coxes to found More 2 Marriage later that year. They continued to gain experience serving in their church’s existing marriage ministry until they moved to San Antonio in 2021 for Marquise to join CBC as the young adult pastor. That same year they founded More 2 Marriage as its own entity and began developing programming,

Through More 2 Marriage, where Krystal serves as CEO, the Coxes have expanded their outreach from young adults to relationships. They hold Marriage Gatherings in San Antonio twice a year where they help people get on the same page with God’s word about covenant marriage. More 2 Marriage’s approach is somewhat unusual in that they do include singles and those dating or engaged along with the married couples to whom they primarily target. Krystal confessed she and Marquise attended marriage conferences when they were dating because they wanted to learn what was not taught in their church services or homes.

“We knew we wanted to get married and have the material to learn how to date well with marriage in mind,” she said. “The best time to learn about marriage is before you are married. We started thinking about how we could blend those lines, and it has been effective.”

They even have a place for singles who hope to be married but are in a season of waiting. “We don’t promise they’ll get married. It is very important that Jesus is the ultimate prize, not marriage,” Marquise said. “We give them a sober picture of what marriage is like if it is in the cards for them,” Krystal added. “They may have a desire for marriage, but they don’t know the cost of it. They have a romantic vision but haven’t thought past the wedding day.”

They encourage singles to work on themselves, align themselves with God and learn what it means to be a godly spouse. They also have advice for men and women who want to be married but don’t know what it takes to draw someone’s attention.

“While we are pastors, we also are real people who talk about real things,” Krystal added. “We encourage people to cling to Jesus but understand the work they can do personally to become husband or wife material – simple things like changing their style or learning to be more curious in conversation.” They remember a single guy who started attending Marriage Gatherings. By the fifth one, he was engaged, the sixth married, and now he and his wife have started a family.  “How awesome for a man to put himself in that position and have it be fruitful,” Marquise said.

With this in mind, the Coxes provide opportunities for attendees to interact and mingle. Another benefit to mixing singles and couples, often married people have single friends they can introduce to someone with spouse potential.

For those who do meet a potential mate and prepare to marry, More 2 Marriage offers a six-week pre-marital course either in person or via Zoom. Many of the couples who approach Krystal and Marquise for the two-on-two meetings have also asked Marquise to perform their wedding ceremony. Their Pre-Marital Course covers the 5 P’s of Marriage, communication and conflict, sexual intimacy, choosing health over perfection, understanding your spouse and includes a workbook. They also offer a Deep-Dive Marriage Goal Setting session to help couples pause and set Christ-centered goals for their marriage. Krystal and Marquise help couples identify priorities, uncover blind spots and create practical steps that align their relationship with God’s vision.

“Doing marriage God’s way works 100% of the time,” Krystal said. “Doing it any other way, there are going to be difficulties. Couples are overtaken by the problems and are not able to overcome them without God. If you don’t understand who built marriage, you will only do it your way and keep putting Band-Aids on a situation without getting to the root.”

The Coxes describe their rationale for premarital counseling on the More to Marriage webpage. “Premarital counseling is so important because it sets a strong foundation for marriage: spiritually, emotionally, and practically. Instead of waiting until problems arise, couples can prepare for challenges ahead of time and learn how to thrive together. Here are some reasons why premarital is important.

• Builds Communication Skills – You learn how to talk through hard topics in a healthy way.

• Clarifies Expectations – Helps couples align on finances, family roles, intimacy, faith, and conflict resolution.

• Prepares Spiritually – Keeps Christ at the center and ensures values are aligned.

• Reduces Surprises – Many struggles in marriage come from assumptions; premarital counseling surfaces those before the wedding.

• Strengthens Commitment – Couples enter marriage with a shared vision, not just romance.”

They also cite aspirational statistics:

• “Couples who participate in premarital counseling are 30% less likely to divorce than those who don’t (Journal of Family Psychology).

• 71% of couples said premarital counseling improved their communication (American Association of Marriage and Family Therapy).

• 94% of couples who went through premarital counseling said it helped them prepare for marriage (Focus on the Family survey).

• Divorce risk drops by nearly 50% when couples discuss core issues before marriage (National Healthy Marriage Resource Center).”

For married couples who attend a More 2 Marriage Gathering, the next step is to connect them to a couples Bible Study to help them interact with other likeminded people and continue to cultivate vulnerability.

Some choose to invest more deeply and attend one of More 2 Marriage’s Marriage Getaway Retreats. The three-day retreats are billed as a time “to help you and your spouse connect deeply, rekindle your love, and grow in intimacy spiritually, emotionally, and relationally.” Recently, Krystal and Marquise reserved an Airbnb in Austin, where they walked eight couples through marriage content, recruiting a professional therapist to teach communication skills. A small community encourages real sharing.

“People who are called to us know we are honest and real,” Krystal said. “Most of the time we think we are on an island by ourselves, and nobody is going through what we are.” But when a mentor starts sharing about the ebbs and flows of their marriage, others find the courage to follow suit. “What would it look like if married couples allowed God into their marriage to be vulnerable with God and each other?” she asked.

“Many people box their spouses into being who they were when they first met them,” Krystal added. “When they say they fell out of love, they just stopped loving the new version of their spouse. I’m big on being a student of my spouse. Get more out of your marriage – become familiar with your spouse but stay curious,” she advised.