MARITAL/PRE-MARITAL COUNSELING

Because of our casual atmosphere, people are sometimes surprised by the expectations we hold for couples who want to get married and have a Veritas pastor officiate. We carry on a tradition that each marriage ceremony is distinctly Christian (Gen. 2:24; Mark 10:1­-12; Eph. 5:31-32). We consider that you are asking us to represent you as followers of Jesus before God, your family, and your friends.

Though culture has evolving definitions of marriage, we believe that it is God alone who has the ultimate authority to prescribe and describe the marital relationship. Therefore, Veritas pastors will only officiate weddings between men and women who are both believers in Jesus and covenant members at Veritas Church, who are choosing to live apart from one another until married, and who are abstaining from sexual relations until their wedding day.

You will be asked to sign a Couple’s Covenant that demonstrates your desire to honor God in this way. We realize that this may be uncommon in our culture today. Because of this, it becomes one of the most obvious ways you can show your commitment to biblical standards. It also honors your spouse-to-be by elevating your desire to live for God during your engagement.

If you would like a Veritas pastor to officiate, you must participate in Veritas’ pre-marriage course, and request a pastor no later than 5 months from the date of your ceremony. Whether we officiate your wedding or not, you are welcome to take part in this course.

TO REQUEST A VERITAS PASTOR TO OFFICIATE YOUR WEDDING OR TO SIGN UP FOR OUR PRE-MARRIAGE COURSE, PLEASE FOLLOW THESE STEPS:

  • DOWNLOAD AND READ THE COUPLES COVENANT.
  • Fill out the Pre-Marriage Questionnaire located at the link below (both of you need to fill out your own questionnaire).
  • After we receive both questionnaires, one of our pastors will review them. That pastor may choose to meet with you one-on-one to discuss some of the questions in more detail.
  • After a pastor has either met with you or approved your questionnaire, you will be assigned a pre-marriage mentor couple and sent an online assessment.
  • Complete an online assessment that will help us get to know you as a couple. Login information will be sent after you have submitted your questionnaire.
  • Receive the book “The Meaning of Marriage” by Tim and Kathy Keller and the workbook that goes along with the book.
  • Your mentor couple will contact you to setup a meeting time. Over the next couple of months you will work through the workbook with your fiancé and your mentor couple.
  • The cost of the book/workbook is $50/couple and is paid directly to Veritas Church. The online assessment costs $35, and this is paid directly to the website that runs the assessment.
  • After you have finished the meetings with your mentor couple, you will have 1-2 meetings with the Veritas pastor officiating your wedding to go over ceremony details and answer any questions you may have.

If you have any questions, or for more information, please email life@veritasfayetteville.com