Topics:
Marriage beliefs
What we ask of you
Commitment
Contact Information
FAQ
What do we believe about marriage?
Marriage is an institution ordained by God, an institution, which he designed
for our pleasure and fulfillment. God created the institution of marriage at
the very beginning of time. He created man in His own image and then made a
companion for him in life. He brought the woman to the man and declared, "For
this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother and shall be united
with his wife, and they shall become one flesh." (Genesis 2:24) Jesus Christ
also honored marriage by His attendance at the wedding in Cana. In His
ministry, Jesus confirmed marriage as a divine ordinance, an honorable
relationship, and a lasting bond when He said, "What God has joined together
let no man separate." The Apostle Paul highlighted the significance of
marriage when he called marriage a symbol of the union of the Savior and the
Church. The Bible tells us that Christians who marry confirm that marriage is
a permanent relationship based on commitment. It is also an exclusive
relationship, which holds within itself certain privileges that are not to be
experienced outside of marriage. The Bible spells out clearly that mutual
submission and respect are essential to the marriage relationship and that
adultery or sex outside the marriage relationship is sinful and thereby
damaging to our relationship with God and with one another.
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So you're getting married?
Congratulations on your decision to get married! We're excited about getting
together with you to answer your questions and to talk about St. Paul’s
Lutheran Church and our understanding of what constitutes a Christian approach
to marriage. It's important for you to understand some of the basic
commitments our congregation will ask of you if we decide to conduct your
marriage ceremony. We will ask you to engage with us in the following ways:
1. Meet with the pastor to discuss the wedding ceremony.
2. Contact Pastor Keuch regarding pre-marital counseling, rehearsal and
wedding. In order to insure that we have adequate time to walk through all
these steps we ask that a minimum of six months be given to fulfill all the
requirements.
3. Attend St. Paul’s Lutheran Church worship services during the time of your
engagement and to look for ways to become involved in the life of the church.
4. Most importantly, we will ask you to do some serious reflection and
discussion regarding the role Jesus Christ plays in your life, your commitment
to follow Him and ways faith might nurture and encourage you in your marriage.
Pastor Keuch’s eight part “What Lutherans Believe” Class covers these things.
We will want to know that you can subscribe in both principle and practice to
the Christian concepts for marriage.
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Why do we ask engaged couples to commit to so much?
The bottom line answer is that we believe marriage is God's idea. It's
important. It's not to be entered into lightly. We believe we have a
responsibility, before God, to prepare people for a marriage that will last a
lifetime. St. Paul’s Lutheran Church wants to help stop the cycle of divorce
that plagues our culture. We also want to get to know you and have you get to
know us. We believe that marriages thrive when faith is alive and when a
couple is vitally linked to a faith community.
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How to get started
Please contact the church office at 262-878-2600 and ask to speak with Pastor
James Keuch.
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FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions about weddings at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church.
On what day can we be married at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church?
Since St. Paul’s has a busy worship calendar, we ask that you begin with
calling the church office to get initial calendar information and to make an
appointment with Pastor Keuch.
We're looking for a church that will marry us? Do we have to be members of
St. Paul’s Lutheran Church or a regular attendee?
We ask couples to make us their church home during the time of their
engagement and attend services for a few weeks. Ask yourself some questions.
Is this the kind of church you'd feel comfortable attending week in and week
out? Are the sermons helping you to deal with the spiritual issues in your
life? Do the people feel welcoming?
This web site contains information regarding worship times at St. Paul’s and
the ministries of the church.
We need to know right away if we can be married at St. Paul’s Lutheran
Church. We need to put a deposit down on a reception hall tomorrow. Can't you
give us an answer today?
As a general rule we don't want to be rushed into making a decision based on
the availability or unavailability of the church facility. If you are part of
our congregation, attend regularly and are known to us we can try to help you
meet your deadline. There are no guarantees that we will be able to
accommodate your wedding time as quickly as you'd like, however.
Is it really necessary to go through all the premarital counseling?
Yes. We believe it's important to equip couples with the tools to look at
their relationship realistically. Please allow four weeks minimum for the
pre-marital sessions.
We're older. Why do we need to take the counseling?
We've had couples of all ages and backgrounds attend our premarital sessions
and without exception everyone walks away with some information or insight
that helps the relationship. We believe that when you stop learning you stop
growing. Marriages thrive when people continue to grow together.
We're living together. Is that a problem?
First of all, we are thrilled that you want to be married. We believe marriage
is what God wants for every couple that falls in love and see themselves in a
permanent relationship. Secondly, we want to meet every couple where they are
at without compromising our role as God's church. That can be tricky.
You see, it's our understanding that when a couple approaches our church for
marriage that both the man and the woman will agree with both Christian belief
and practice. It makes little sense to be married in the name of God but not
to live in accord with His promises and commands.
Living together is very prevalent in today's society. Even though the culture
as a whole accommodates this practice the Christian church has held strongly
to the sanctity of marriage and the accompanying rights and privileges given
to husbands and wives exclusively. We are also concerned that there is a
higher incidence of divorce among folks who live together prior to marriage.
If you are living together we will work with you in examining what all this
means and explore with you some possible adjustments that will help you to
both honor God and prepare well for your married life together.
We haven't attended worship services for a long time. We're not even very
religious. Is this a problem?
We know that getting married is one of those 'turning point' events that can
point us to new possibilities. We don't believe God magically shows up to
bless weddings. God wants to walk with you daily in your marriage.
Many people, for a variety of reasons haven't had an opportunity to discuss
issues of faith within a caring and nurturing environment. Many people come to
our church with questions and concerns about faith. We try to answer those
questions and deal with those concerns honestly. It's important that matters
of faith be explored. We don't want you to make wedding vows in the name of a
God you don't know or follow.
We believe that following Jesus is the ultimate calling for any person. That's
why we'll want you to examine the role the Lord plays in your life.
We want you to be open and willing to learn, grow and experience the life of
faith. If you're not open to exploring what a life with Jesus might look like
then we're probably not a good fit for you.
We don't want to connect with St. Paul’s Lutheran Church. We just want a
church wedding. Will you rent us your facilities and provide a pastor?
No. St. Paul’s Lutheran Church is not a wedding chapel.
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