Our decision to train lay couples for leadership was not hastily made.
In fact in the early years during which we were leading retreats we knew
of no other couples who were doing so. After seven years we felt that we
knew what we were doing. Although we expected criticism from some of our
professional colleagues this has not developed to any significant
degree, and we are now entirely satisfied that we were justified in
taking such a calculated risk. We know of no case where our lay couples
have encountered crisis situations which they were unable to handle with
wisdom and skill.