Marriage Preparation

Marriage preparation is all about getting ready to declare to each other and to the congregation gathered that you will…

‘Love, comfort, honour and protect each other; forsaking all others be faithful to each other as long as you both shall live.’ Words adapted from the wedding vows

Marriage preparation will give you time to think about this commitment in a non-threatening, relaxed and enjoyable way.

It is a sad fact that divorce is increasing. The marriage preparation course is based around common factors within relationships that contribute to divorce, such as conflict and finances. It helps you to discuss areas of your relationship that you might not have considered before.

We run the Marriage Preparation course over the course of a day. You'll spend time at someone's home, with meals and refreshments provided. You have time to spend alone together as well as in discussion with the couple leading your session.

“The marriage prep was absolutely wonderful and incredibly useful. We feel very lucky to have benefitted from such a course. It was good fun and they prepared us a delicious lunch which was very kind. We took a moment to pray at the end for our marriage preparation and we both thank you very much for praying for us also.”
— Lilly and Alex

We also run the marriage course. We invite couples who are newly married or have been married for a very long time to come and learn about building strong foundations, about effective communication and how to resolve differences well.

Is marriage preparation optional?

Today, couples have the choice of being married in all sorts of venues from a registry office to scuba-diving underwater. All these different options provide you with a choice depending on your priorities for your big day. In church we prioritise the commitment that you are making to each other and aim to do all we can in helping you strengthen this. If you would prefer not to do marriage preparation, then it may be that St. John’s is not the best location for you. You’re welcome to talk about this further with our minister.