So you’re considering marriage; perhaps you’re already engaged. If so, congratulations! These will be some of the most exciting days of your life. Enjoy them!
From the beginning, God created man and woman to become one in the marriage covenant. By design—physically, emotionally, and spiritually—the framework of the male and female blueprints testifies to God’s special care and provision for the needs of mankind in that one fulfills the other. Your marriage is a wonderful union designed by God.
The commonly held understanding of marriage today—what it is, and what it isn’t— has been influenced by popular culture, secularism, entertainment media and social science so much so that it hardly resembles the wonderfully-forever, unyielding covenant that God drafted it to be for mankind. What God has always understood about humanity is our need to be joined together, both with a spouse and with Himself. Marriage is, by definition, one of God’s great provisions for that intrinsic need. But like every good thing, it requires maintenance and a clear understanding of its worth.
At Redeemer, our understanding of marriage is defined by Scripture alone. We seek to preserve marriage, both at large and individually, for its contribution to the lives of children and the provision of families, its significance to the Church and its enriching effect on social order. Out of this, we strive to educate and equip couples with the skills necessary to make their marriage as fulfilling and invigorating as God intended.
It’s for that reason that we see our role not just to provide a venue for a wedding, but to help lay the groundwork for a fantastic lifelong marriage.
Pre-Maritial Counseling
Redeemer takes very seriously the gravity of marital statistics today, seeking to prepare couples for the important vow they are about to make before each other and before God. With that in mind, we encourage a few basic pre-marital guidelines, including pre-martial counseling.
What pre-marital counseling process do we recommend?
- A minimum of 4 to 6 sessions over at least a 4-month period using the Prepare and Enrich Assessment
- Led by a Campus/Service Pastor (or pastoral designee) from Redeemer
- Redeemer endorses a number of select pre-marital counseling
- When Sinners Say “I Do”: Discovering the Power of the Gospel for Marriage by Dave Harvey
- What Did You Expect?: Redeeming the Realities of Marriage by Paul David Tripp
To get started, first download the Marriage Class Covenant and then fill out these forms:
Premarital Counseling Request Form – Bride
Premarital Counseling Request Form – Groom
For more information on weddings and help with marriages at Redeemer, please contact the main office at 315-792-4748 or contact info@redeemer.tv