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Premarital Coaching and Wedding Ceremony Preparation

As your personal wedding officiant or pastor, we spend a lot of time preparing with each couple to experience a wedding ceremony that they will be proud of. A "good" or "great" wedding does not happen by itself. It takes a lot of planning and coordination. And likewise, a "good" or "great" marriage does not happen by itself.

A minimum of two pre-marital planning sessions (approximately 6 hours) and counseling are required in order to be married by Pastor Joseph Karge. Not only does premarital counseling have a statistically proven positive impact on the success of your marriage, but these meetings also allow Pastor and each couple to really get to know each other... thereby enabling your wedding service to be unique, personal and special.

Here's a suggestion from Pastor Mike Hartwig, founder of Marriage Matters:

"Spend as much time preparing for your marriage as you spend preparing for your wedding! " Here's several reasons:

  • Your wedding lasts only a day - your marriage is meant to last for your lifetime!
  • While everybody enters a marriage "expecting" it to last, over 50% of new marriages end in divorce. Investing time and energy in preparing for your marriage before it starts is the best way to build a strong foundation NOW that will pay off many times in the future.

You've heard the saying "old habits are hard to break". Use this marriage preparation time to develop new habits that will serve you both well for years to come. You are about to take a step that is literally the most important step you will ever take in your life - embarking on a journey that, statistically speaking, has less than a 50% success rate? With this much at stake (you know, the future of your life), wouldn't you want to do everything you can to increase your marriage's chance of providing you the life of mutual love that you are entering into it for? Of course you would! So let's do this the right way! This is NOT the time to be cutting corners and taking shortcuts.

Pastor Mike Hartwig
Marriage Matters of Iowa Resource Center
1100 North Hickory, Suite 105
Pleasant Hill, Iowa 50327

Websites: www.marriagemattersofiowa.org
          www.iowamarriage.net


In our premarital counseling we use material from three fantastic programs.

The FOCCUS (Facilitating Open Couple Communication, Understanding and Study) Self-diagnostic Inventory is designed to help couples learn more about themselves and their unique relationship. It is not a test, nor meant as a predictor of the success or failure of a marriage. However, it is a tool to help couples identify their strengths and issues to work through before marriage. FOCCUS provides feedback on where each partner stands in regards to topic areas important to marriage. The results of the inventory point to issues and areas that may need to be addressed in a couple's marriage. This is one of the most exciting profound tools I have ever seen to help couples rejoice in their relationship and tackle the tough issues in their connection.

See http://www.foccusinc.com for more information on this great tool!

America's Family Coaches, divorce proofing your marriage campaign, is message birthed in the hearts of Dr. Gary and Barb Rosberg, to help equip couples through a small group study to learn the biblical principles for a forever marriage.

The divorce proofing campaign is designed to help couples have greater resources to:

  • Endure through struggles!
  • Forgive each other from current and past offenses!
  • Serve each other out of a true heart of love and 100% commitment!
  • Renew the love that brought them together!
  • Celebrate the marriage that God designed for them!

The divorce proof campaign consists of a video series and study. See their website for more resources to help your marriage be a forever success at http://www.drgaryandbarb.com/

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