Please fill out your personal information below and make sure that your future spouse also fills out this form separately.

Christian Faith

Motives for Marriage

Standards

We believe we are responsible before God to marry only those people who have God’s blessing (favor) for the marriage and who are prepared for the demands and responsibilities of this relationship.

‍Marriage is work! You don’t expect to get other jobs without qualifications, so there are qualifications for marriage.
‍
‍1. You must have a similar commitment to Christ (2 Corinthians 6:14)
‍Unless we are in covenant relationship with God, we lack the strength and love to really meet the demands of marriage. Without God, our natural selfishness prevents a relationship from really blossoming. Sin destroyed the oneness between Adam and Eve (Genesis 3). This means that a Christian pastor cannot marry a Christian to a non-­Christian. From a Christian perspective, the heart of the marriage is deep oneness. If your spouse cannot understand the central motive of your heart, and the driving force of your life, how can s/he have deep unity with you? The only way to have a tolerable marriage with a non­-Christian is to push Jesus off to the periphery of your soul. Either Christ will be central and your marriage relationship will be superficial, or Christ will be on the periphery and your marriage relationship will be central. From a common sense perspective, it would be hard to find a rabbi or Muslim cleric or Christian pastor or a marriage counselor who thinks two people should marry who differ on the most core/important commitments of their lives. There can’t be intimacy if two people differ in those central life commitments. Is there agreement between the two of you in this central area? Is there a similar commitment to Christ? You need to be active together as members of a church.
‍
‍2. You must be mature enough and willing to build a marriage based on the principles of God’s word.
‍The way to handle a machine so that it continues to work properly is to follow the directions of the manufacturer. If you ignore the instructions, there will be breakdown. Freedom comes from following the rules of the creator. This means first of all, you must be willing to talk through and solve problems God’s way. For example, have you been engaging in sexual relations? Here’s a test! Are you willing to accept God’s word that this practice is wrong?

One of the most important qualities of a healthy marriage is the ability to handle conflicts and communicate appropriately. Unless you can base your relationship on communication now, how will you do so later?

If this is not your first marriage and you are divorced, please complete the following questions.