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You have chosen to marry; that change will affect
the rest of your life. We respect the thought and gravity behind such a
decision.
You are also considering making this commitment
to each other in the setting of faith and within the rituals of the
church. Please review the following beliefs that the church holds
regarding marriage.
1.A wedding is primarily
an act of worship of God. Within worship, God is the center of
attention—we do not gather to adore the bride or groom but God, whose
love and creative purpose have made our love and marriage possible.
2.Preparation for marriage
is much more than preparation for a wedding. Couples come with diverse
life experiences and orientations. Careful study and counseling are
expected minimum preparations. The pastors of this church or counselors
from some other agency are able to help you satisfy this requirement.
When another counselor is used, a letter from him or her would need to
be addressed to the church specifying the nature of the counseling, and
a wedding planning session with the pastor would need to be held.
3.Marriages need the
guidance and support of God’s love and presence throughout the life of
the marriage. A Christian wedding happens within the context of lives of
faith. The marriage is a daily gift of God, a source of blessing for
both the husband and the wife. Unless each partner is living in
relationship with God, regularly worshiping, living a life of service
and thanksgiving, trusting in the saving and transforming presence of
Christ’s Spirit, then the power of the wedding and the health of the
marriage will be weak and possibly empty forms. We cannot require you to
be active Christians, but we invite you to discover what you might be
missing.
4.Marriage is a life-long
commitment. We rejoice in your love for each other. But before you make
such a commitment, make sure your love is lasting and not just based on
chemistry. Chemistry can make a relationship last about two years.
Friendship, that is not based in sex, that has been tested by
difficulty, that has grown past the superficial familiarity of the first
two years of the relationship, has great hope of staying power. Divorce
is a terrible experience and creates far-reaching consequences for
children in the relationship. All relationships will need to be able to
weather times of hardship and disappointment. If you are not able to
hold to your commitment and are likely to run away from difficulty, you
should not get married and definitely not risk the procreation of
children.
If these beliefs reflect your own commitments,
we encourage you to proceed with your plans and preparations. We welcome
you to continue working with us in designing a wedding that will glorify
God and celebrate your love. |
