You’ve planned the wedding date, booked the caterer and the DJ, and sent the wedding invitations…but have you received any wise counsel from the church community?
Deciding to get married isn’t a decision to rush or to make in isolation. If you are a part of liberti and you are considering marriage, or if you plan to ask a liberti pastor or other liberti leaders to be involved in your wedding, the leadership of liberti asks those considering marriage to get the input of other wise people – this is not meant to invade privacy or infringe on people’s freedom, but to seek to give helpful input in the context of biblical community.
Here are the recommended steps:
Step 1: There is one initial meeting with an elder to discuss the relationship and general biblical principles regarding marriage. This conversation should happen before the couple is engaged.
Step 2: The couple will be matched with a mentor couple. The mentoring couple’s role is to provide ongoing accountability and prayer to the couple seeking marriage. There will be a number of resources provided to the couple that will facilitate discussion on key issues such as:
- Gospel-Centered Marriage Expectations
- Conflict Resolution
- Spiritual Beliefs
- Communication
- Financial Management
- Sexual Expectations
- Children and Parenting
All of the above needs to at least be discussed and organized before Steve or another elder agrees to do the wedding, before a date is set, and ideally before the couple is engaged.
To begin this process, please contact Chris Uttke, liberti fishtown’s marriage mentor: cuttke@gmail.com
Lastly, we strongly recommend When Sinners Say I Do by Dave Harvey as a very helpful resource for preparing for marriage.
