Is it something in the water?
I have more pending weddings than at any other time in my 21 years of pastoral ministry. And each couple deserves the best preparation that I can give them.
And isn't it sad that many couples devote more time & energy to planning their wedding ceremony than to the marriage that follows?
Well, not if I can help it.
That's why I made a change about a year ago in how I lead couples through premarital counseling.
From 1990 - 2010, I used the same format -- a fairly simple program I had outlined in a seminary class and stuck to ever since.
The problem was that I had begun to do it without thinking. My pre-marital counseling was on auto-pilot.
So last year I received some training from the good people at Prepare-Enrich and now the process I used is more involved, more personal, and, I pray, more effective.
It begins with the couple completing an online assessment and continues in depth from there. All the couples I've worked with have done the assessment eagerly and not been intimidated by its sometimes uncomfortable reports.
So now my calendar is full with couples going deeper than flowers, dresses, and tuxedos.
