About Us
About Dr. David &
Terri Sumlin
The Sumlins are co-founders of Marriage Life Ministries and authors of the Intimacy of Marriage® , Oneness of Marriage® , and Holiness of Marriage® series designed to help couples enrich their marriages through the application of biblical principles and adventure-based learning. They both have served over the last 15 years as international marriage educators, retreat leaders, pastoral counselors, and conference speakers.
Our Passion & Unique Approach
Our passion for helping couples embrace God’s design for marriage stems from our personal
encounter with God’s redemptive grace in restoring our own broken marriage. This passion falls
under a much larger calling of proclaiming the truth, love, and worship of God through a personal
and purposeful relationship with Jesus Christ. To this end, we founded Marriage Life Ministries
in 2012 as a means of proclaiming the gospel through the vessel of marriage and family ministry.
Our unique approach to marital enrichment is built upon some of the advances found in
neuroscience, psychology, physiology, and adventure-based therapy, which were then tested
through the lens of God’s word for validation. The result is an Adventure-Based Marital
Enrichment model that helps couples derive behavioral transformation and increased levels of
sustained learning. While traditional therapeutic approaches can yield low to moderate success
in terms of marital outcomes, couples who participate in our programs are 84% more likely to
report having sustained levels of increased marital satisfaction long after the program has ended.
Dr. David Sumlin
(281) 684-1331
davidsumlin@marriagelifeministries.com
David is a native Texan and earned his bachelor's degree in finance from the University of North Texas. David served as a management consultant with the American Productivity & Quality Center and later as an executive for Hewlett Packard. In 2002, after sensing God’s call to enter full-time vocational ministry, David enrolled at Dallas Theological Seminary to pursue a masters degree in biblical counseling as well as a doctorate in marriage and family ministry. Upon graduating from DTS, he received his call to pastor a church in northwest Houston for seven years before serving as a full-time marriage educator.
Terri Sumlin
(713) 515-9975
terrisumlin@marriagelifeministries.com
Terri was born in Ashland, Kentucky. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Education from the University of North Texas. Upon graduating, Terri has been blessed with a 22 year teaching career as an English teacher. Terri is a leader in women’s ministry and serves full-time alongside David in their combined marriage and family ministry.
