Prepare/Enrich Conference

September 4, 2008

Baptist Building in Little Rock

9:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

Training in pre-marital and marital counseling for ordained ministerial staff

Regular Registration $100.00                  Refresher Registration $20.00

Registration Deadline:  August 24, 2008

Please Contact us at 1-800-838-2272 ext 5193

Strategies to Champion Marriage
by Ben Phillips

 





Church Marriage Policy

Develop a marriage policy for your church to include some of the  aspects listed below:

• Include theological beliefs about divorce and remarriage.
• Run through the proper channels so the whole church is behind this (not just the pastor).

Pre-marital Counseling

• Require couples to participate in a minimum number of pre-martial counseling sessions.
• Enlist and train others in the church to provide this service in addition to the pastor.

Covenant Marriage Policy

• Require all couples getting married in your church to sign a covenant marriage agreement
• Encourage all couples in your church to convert their marriage to a covenant marriage

Post-marital Counseling

• Pastor or counselor should meet with a newly marriage couple a minimum of two times within the first year of their marriage.

Marriage Counseling

• Provide counseling for couples in crisis
• Refer to professional counselors as necessary

Preaching on Marriage

• Preach on marriage at least once a year; preach series on marriage at least once a year.

Marriage Enrichment

• Provide marriage enrichment for your couples - retreats, special Sundays, conferences, classes during Sunday School hour or discipleship hour.

Marriage Mentors

• Enlist and train mature couples to mentor younger couples to have healthy marriages.

Community Marriage Agreement

• Work through the ministerial alliance to develop a community marriage agreement among the churches in your community.
• Make covenant marriages community wide the goal.

Church Staff Marriage Enrichment

• Require all church staff to participate in some type of marriage enrichment experience each year - funded by the church, (retreat, conference, reading a book together, weekend get-away)

Couples Night Out

• Provide quality child care monthly or quarterly for your couples to be able to have date night.

Marriage Resources

• Provide plenty of books and resources on marriage in your church library for couples.
• Occasionally give away books to couples to encourage their continual development as a couple.

Divorce Recovery Ministry

• Conduct a workshop for the community
• Conduct a series of classes to help individuals deal with divorce from a biblical perspective.