The Bible teaches that marriage is a gift from God which He gave to meet some of the emotional and physical needs of men and women. He provided it for our good, and intends it to be a joy and blessing to us.
The Bible also teaches that marriage is not something to be entered into lightly. The Bible’s view of marriage is that it is a covenant--an agreement--between a man, a woman, and God. God intends for a married couple to honor their commitment to each other and to him.
X In view of these beliefs, the church has developed the following policy for determining which marriages our ministers will conduct. Couples must agree
1. We will attend the church of our choice at least three Sundays each month prior to our wedding, unless prohibited by sickness.
2. We will meet with the minister for four one-hour sessions of pre-marital counseling. Should the minister come to the opinion there are issues which are so serious that they would greatly jeopardize a successful marriage, we understand he may ask to delay the wedding until the issues can be dealt with. Should we be unwilling to do so, we understand minister has the right to withdraw from his agreement to marry us.
3. We will remain celibate from this moment until we are married. We understand that the Bible teaches that sex is a gift from God and has reserved for married couples. We understand that it is only proper to have sexual relations within the covenant of marriage.
X In the event these conditions are not met, we understand that the minister may withdraw from the wedding at any time.
X No minister will marry a couple if one of the others ministers has declined to perform the wedding.
X If the couple wishes to have a minister not on staff at Berlin Christian Church, that minister must be approved by the elders.
X There will be guidelines for the use of the building and attached to this policy.
