Would you marry this couple?

To the best of my knowledge, my church requires either one of the people getting married to be a member, or to have a family member who is a member of the church. If the couple is of differing faiths, then they cannot be married. For the most part, (I hesitate to say "every time" because I just don't know) a couple living together prior to marriage would not be eligible for marriage at my church.

Now, I'm speaking as a home preacher and not as an ordained man, so I'm just going off best recollection.

 

Long answer...

I will only a couple where both are believers. They have to do 6 counseling sessions and attend our church for the 2 months prior to their wedding. We don't allow non-members to use our facilities. We don't allow them to go to another church because if they were regular attenders at the church, why wouldn't their pastor do the service.

I have refused a few times even when both are believers because they are either not ready for marriage or, after counseling with them, in my opinion doomed to failure. I've refused 3 times and in all 3 times they have gotten married somewhere else anyway. And in all 3 times, they were divorced within 2 years.

If one is a believer and the other is not, I will attempt to win the unsaved one to Christ, but if he/she is not saved, I won't marry them because a marriage that begins with disobedience to Scripture will more than likely end in disobedience to Scripture.

I have done weddings when both are unsaved, but not in the church and they also have to go through counseling and attendance at church. That pretty much stops most unsaved couples from going any farther.

 

I was standing in line at Chipotle one night and three women were running their pastors into the dirt, complaining about how they all had to go to premarital counseling and how much they hated it and what a waste they thought it was. I JUST about said "ladies, you are the reason preachers quit", but I didn't.

A preacher has to answer for everything he does, including the folks he marries. Premarital counseling is a way to help. And shame on people who run their preachers into the dirt.

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We will not marry a non-member. That eliminates many of the other issues your raised.

 

I would not marry a couple where one is a sinner and the other is a christian...

I would marry a couple if both were sinners, but only after giving them some Godly counselling...

I would marry a couple if they're both saved...duh...

 

You would perfer them to go to a secular source to perform the ceremony then. Or go to aliberal church that condones God knows what. For all intents and purposes, you have now taken a perfect opportunity to convert a couple and trounced it.

 

Define sinner.

 

One who sins. :smilewinkgrin:

 

That would be All of Us!:smilewinkgrin:

 

Hogwash.

I never said we would not counsel the couple. You injected that yourself. If the result of counseling them results in their conversion and joining the church then we may very well marry them. However if they are not members of the church we will not marry them.

The state our church is located in has legalized same-sex marriage. The elders have anticipated future legal action against churches that refuse to marry individuals of the same gender. At present the prudent thing to do is limit marriage to members only. Eventually the prevailing culture will catch up with the church and force local churches either to cave or disobey. I pray to God that does not happen, or if it does happen that faithful churches will choose to disobey and willingly suffer for Christ.

 

Paul Simon song...... "Slip Sliding Away" keeps playing in my head.:smilewinkgrin:

 

Already here....
Look at the Episcopal Church!

 

Probably been uncovered by a Background check....and being unkind to a child is unforgivable.....that should ha e e'en a clue to her.

 

Sorry to hear that.....hope she grows closer to God through this exercise. HE is our true refuge and strength.