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Premarital Process

The Premarital Process at Grace

This is an exciting season of preparation and expectation! As special and as memorable as your wedding day will be, it is a marriage that thrives and lasts a lifetime that will enrich lives and bring glory to God.

What does Grace offer?

The best way to prepare for marriage is to learn more about God’s design for marriage and to seek wise counsel within the context of a marriage mentoring relationship.

We consider the individual needs of each engaged couple, but in general our process looks like this and takes several months to complete:

1

Complete the online couple profile, then meet in person with a Grace pastor for approval to move forward with the Premarital Process.

2

Once you are approved, you will meet with a marriage mentor to discuss the specifics of your Premarital Process path.

3

We will match you with a Grace mentor couple and/or a professional counselor to help you learn more about yourself, your fiancé and the building blocks for a strong marriage.
If you are matched with a mentor couple, you will schedule 4-6 two-hour meetings with your mentor couple to work through a marriage preparation study together.
If we refer you to a professional counselor, once you have completed the recommended number of one-hour sessions you will be matched with a Marriage Mentor couple.

Why go through all of these steps? 

Because laying a sound foundation of healthy communication, relational support and scriptural truth can deepen your love, heighten your joy, and give you tools to help you deal with whatever the future holds. Marriage preparation at Grace is not merely a checklist, it is a relational journey. We meet with you in person, spend time getting to know you as a couple, and employ effective tools to help guide you through the process.

If you have any questions about the Premarital Process, contact Meg Kempton, Marriage Ministry Mentor.

How to Get Started

We are delighted you have decided to partner with Grace to prepare for your marriage! This process takes several months to complete.

  1. Please read the FAQs before moving to the next step.
  2. Click the “Start the Process” button to complete your Online Couple Profile and accept Premarital Process Agreement.
  3. Schedule a meeting with a Grace Pastor. Once your couple profile has been completed, we will contact you within one week to set up an introductory meeting with a Grace Pastor for approval to move forward with the Premarital Process.
  4. Schedule a meeting with a Marriage Ministry Mentor. Once you receive approval by a Grace pastor, you will meet with a Marriage Ministry Mentor to discuss the specifics of your Premarital Process path.
  5. Reserve the date. If you plan to get married at Grace or have a Grace pastor officiate your wedding, contact Wedding Coordinator, Masakwe Sawyer, to get information about reserving a date and wedding packages.
  6. Meet with your Premarital Process mentor couple/professional counselor regularly. After designing a blueprint for your Premarital Process with a Marriage Ministry Mentor, you will be matched with a mentor couple or a professional counselor.
    If you are matched with a mentor couple, you will schedule regular two-hour meetings with your mentor couple to work through a marriage preparation study together – approximately six sessions total.
    If we refer you to a professional counselor, once you have completed the recommended number of sessions with your counselor, you will be matched with a mentor couple. You will meet for a total of six sessions combined. (Counseling fees are the responsibility of the engaged couple.)
  7. Meet with the pastor marrying you. If a Grace pastor is officiating your wedding, you will meet with your pastor a minimum of two months prior to your wedding date.
  8. After your wedding. Meet with a marriage mentor couple in the 2nd, 6th and 10th month of your marriage to discuss transitions and celebrate growth.

You can look forward to being on this journey together! It will enrich your relationship, deepen your faith and give your marriage a strong start.

If you have any questions about this process, contact Meg Kempton, Marriage Ministry Mentor.


Here are some things to consider to help determine if Grace’s Premarital Process is a good fit for you:

If you have questions or concerns about any part of the process, please do not hesitate to contact Meg Kempton, Marriage Ministry Mentor.

Do you consider Grace your church home? 

Our Premarital Process is intended to support couples who are a part of the Grace family. Connection is one of our Six Essentials. By connecting with others in a mentoring relationship you can experience authentic community that will support you during the premarital stage and on into your marriage. We want Grace to be a place where you are known and loved and where your marriage can thrive. Your regular engagement with your church family is the first step in making that happen.

Do you have a shared commitment to follow Jesus?

We believe your marriage will only flourish when you are both actively pursuing an honest relationship with Jesus. However, we acknowledge that faith journeys take twists and turns and individuals can be at different points along the way. This is something to openly discuss together with your marriage mentors during the Premarital Process.

Are you both willing to meet regularly with a premarital mentor and/or counselor?

Couples who participate in some type of premarital preparation process are 30% more likely to have a successful marriage than couples who do not. The more you, as a couple, put into this process, the more you will get out of it. We believe that meeting with a mentor couple and/or a professional counselor is an invaluable resource and expands your community of support.

If you are remarrying after a divorce, have you had a season of intentional time to heal?

Divorce is painful and it takes time and intentionality to recover. So before you consider remarriage, we ask that at least one year has passed since the time of your finalized divorce and that you have engaged in some type of process or program to facilitate personal healing. We believe in God’s power to redeem, heal, and restore and that your second marriage can be strong.

Are you willing to practice sexual purity during your engagement? 

In today’s culture, sex outside of marriage is commonplace; viewed as natural and even necessary. Yet God calls for a different and ultimately healthier choice – reserving sexual intimacy for marriage alone. Your engagement is a crucial time of preparation and clarity and nothing is more distracting than having a sexual relationship before you are married.

We believe that practicing abstinence throughout the Premarital Process and until your wedding date is one of the best decisions you can make for the health of your relationship.

Premarital Process FAQs

Do we need to be engaged to go through the Grace Premarital Process?
Yes. The Premarital Process is for engaged couples.

Do we have to attend Grace to participate in the Premarital Process?
Yes. The Premarital Process is for engaged couples who consider Grace their home church.

How long does it take to complete the process?
The process takes several months to complete.

Who are the mentor couples?
Our mentor couples are trained volunteers who have been married for at least five years and demonstrate a strong relationship with God and an ongoing pursuit of a healthy marriage.

How are we matched with a mentor couple?
There are multiple factors. We try to align schedules and consider similar life situations.

Where do we meet with our mentor couple?
Couples usually meet at Grace.

How often do we meet with our mentor couple, and for how long?
You will work out a schedule with your mentors that is convenient for both couples.
You will meet approximately six times for one to two hours, depending on the needs of the couple.

What curriculum do you use?
We use a structured study that provides excellent preparation in areas key to a successful marriage. We also utilize the Prepare Enrich assessment.

If we are referred to a professional counselor, will we also have a mentor couple?
Yes. When you have completed the recommended number of sessions with your counselor, we will match you with a mentor couple.

What is the cost?
The $80 registration fee includes two workbooks and the Prepare Enrich assessment. (The registration fee does not cover professional counseling fees or Grace wedding packages.)

Do we need to complete the Premarital Process in order to get married at Grace?
Yes. We believe this process is vital to a healthy start to your marriage.