Should churches support marriages?

Weddings offer huge opportunities for churches to engage with members of the community who don’t normally go to church. Even if both those getting married attend regularly, they will invite friends from outside the church.

But weddings afford many more opportunities to connect with people than merely the marriage service. Many churches offer marriage preparation, or even insist on it, before a wedding. And there is a general move towards offering courses and other support to married couples, both inside and outside the church.

The devastating effects of family breakdown are widely acknowledged, and many young people are growing up without any role model of what a committed adult relationship looks like. If we stress the importance of marriage at the wedding, it is good for us to ‘follow the logic through’ and support marriages far beyond the wedding day too.

By offering courses that aim to prepare couples for marriage and strengthen married life, we can meet couples at a point of real need, and give them relevant and practical help to build healthy marriages that last a lifetime.

Simply by being proactive and thinking about prevention, churches can make an invaluable contribution to saving many, many families from experiencing the tragic effects of divorce, both now, and in future generations.

How do you get started on caring for marriage? Take a look round this section of the website and find out how you can support those preparing for marriage and those already married.

Last Updated 06 December 2010