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Marriage Preparation: A Ministry with Lasting Benefits

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Ministering Spiritually to Families

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Abstract

With the vast majority of marriage preparation provided in a religious setting, churches are uniquely positioned to help couples improve marital quality and stability by providing research-based and biblically sound premarital counseling. This chapter discusses the importance of church-based premarital counseling and gives tools for developing an effective ministry. The chapter includes background information about clergy involvement in premarital counseling; best practices for marriage preparation; and the attitudes and behaviors of U.S. clergy related to this ministry that we have discovered in our research. We offer specific suggestions to help the minister develop appropriate skills, recommend tools to address the unique needs of each couple, and suggest strategies for utilizing additional resources. An appendix lists websites that provide specific resources.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Mississippi State University, Mail Stop 9745, 39762, Mississippi, MS, USA

    Dr. Joe D. Wilmoth PhD

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. California State University, Long Beach, Long Beach, California, USA

    William Jeynes

  2. Department of Education, Point Loma Nazarene University, San Diego, California, USA

    Enedina Martinez

Appendix

Appendix

Websites for Selected Resources

The following Internet sites are examples of programs or resources related to marriage preparation. This list is not exhaustive, but it includes some of the best-known sources.

Curricula

Couple Communication: http://www.couplecommunication.com

Engaged Encounter

The Marriage Garden: http://www.uaex.edu/health-living/personal-family-well-being/couples/

Married and Loving It: http://marriedandlovingit.org/wp/

PREP: www.PrepInc.com

Relationship Enhancement: www.nire.org

Premarital Assessment Questionnaires

PREPARE: www.prepare-enrich.com

FOCCUS: www.foccusinc.com

RELATE: www.relate-institute.org

Mentor Training Programs

Marriage Mentoring: 12 Conversations for Building Strong Marriages, Ed Gray: www.12conversations.com

Marriage Savers, Mike & Harriet McManus: www.marriagesavers.org

PREPARE/ENRICH Customized Version Marriage Mentor Program, David Olson et al., www.prepare-enrich.com

The Complete Guide to Marriage Mentoring, Les & Leslie Parrott: http://www.marriagementoring.com

General information

National Healthy Marriage Resource Center: www. http://www.healthymarriageinfo.org/

Smart Marriages: www.smartmarriages.com/app/Directory.BrowsePrograms

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Wilmoth, J. (2015). Marriage Preparation: A Ministry with Lasting Benefits. In: Jeynes, W., Martinez, E. (eds) Ministering Spiritually to Families. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-13302-7_6

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