On the day that gay marriage became legal in Minnesota, the Minnesota Family Council says that the “conversation about marriage is not over.”

Also today, Minnesotans for Marriage, a related group opposed to gay marriage, said it is starting the Marriage Majority Initiative to try to elect legislators who will restore the ban on gay marriage.

And the National Organization for Marriage says it’s allocating $500,000 to Minnesota for the next election cycle “to make sure that voters know who is responsible for redefining marriage.”

The Minnesota Family Council, which supported the unsuccessful state constitutional ban on gay marriage and then opposed legislative efforts to make it legal, issued a statement Thursday morning, saying its members still believe in the “goodness of God’s design for marriage and we will fearlessly defend the right of people of faith to uphold it.”

 John Helmberger, CEO of the Minnesota Family Council, said:

“Despite this change in our laws, the conversation about marriage is not over. Minnesota Family Council will continue the conversation about the goodness of God’s design for marriage and we will fearlessly defend the right of people of faith to uphold it. But it won’t be easy. Our legislators approved gay ‘marriage’ without any individual religious liberty or right of conscience protections.”

He said his group will focus on three things:

• “Provide critical legal information to pastors and churches, religious organizations, business owners, employers and more about the threats to their religious liberty and the steps they can take to maximize their legal protection while upholding God’s design for marriage
• “Help constituents whose legislators betrayed their confidence by supporting same-sex ‘marriage’ to hold those legislators accountable and choose leaders who will better represent their values in next year’s election.
• “In partnership with our network of 1,400 churches, develop and implement marriage strengthening ministries and outreach, applying ourselves to the long-term priority of changing hearts and minds to restore a culture of marriage and family, rooted in a biblical worldview.”

Organizers of the Marriage Majority Initiative said they will work to support “legislators who withstood immense political pressure in order to cast a vote in defense of traditional marriage and by helping Minnesotans find better representation for themselves in districts where legislators abandoned their constituents in favor of the same-sex ‘marriage’ lobby.”

Helmberger, who also heads Minnesotans for Marriage, said:

“Minnesotans around the state have been asking ‘what’s next?’ after a group of legislators forced same-sex ‘marriage’ on the state. The Marriage Majority Initiative will help them answer that question by restoring a pro-Marriage majority in their state government. We are blessed to live in a country where The People can choose their representation. And, when their chosen representation fails them, the People have the opportunity to choose new leaders.”