November 10, 2024 | Doug Sauder
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We love to prepare couples for what we pray will be a lifelong marriage relationship! Our premarital course consists of six live teachings, small group discussions, and assigned reading and exercises. Each couple will meet privately with a counselor along the way.
Particular issues we like to address early in the premarital process include living together or sexual intimacy before marriage, severe financial hardships, spiritual mismatches, physical, verbal and emotional abuse in the relationship, and life-controlling addictions. Although our heart is to guide each couple to work through these sensitive areas, failure to deal with these areas in a healthy, biblical way could result in our inability to host or officiate your wedding.
Register to attend our premarital counseling class.
We offer a six-week course covering topics such as the marriage covenant, expectations in marriage, finances, communication, parenting, and romance. Classes are offered several times per year and can be found at the bottom of this page.
Meet with a counselor.
The premarital process includes classes, group discussions, and counseling sessions where you’ll meet as a couple with your counselor towards the end of the six-week class. We will assign one of our pastors/counselors to meet with you privately.
Connect with our office.
Upon approval from your counselor, connect with our wedding office, which will book your preferred date and officiant, and assist you along the way. Call 954-556-4244 or send an e-mail to Weddings@CalvaryFTL.org.
Completion of Counseling/Pastor Request
Over the years, we’ve seen many couples deepen their discipleship journey with Jesus through the premarital experience. It’s a special time to pause and reflect on your relationship with God and with your spouse-to-be. Our heart is to meet every couple where they are and, by God’s grace, lead them where God wants them to be before marriage. In premarital, you’ll be challenged to make adjustments, have long conversations with your fiancé, and even weigh the big decision you’re making.
The fact you’re seeking counsel with a church causes us to assume you want the help and blessing of the Lord in your union. If you’d like to talk prior to when the class begins, we’re available to talk in person or by phone.
Register Now
For those who are unable to attend live classes, we offer an online option. The online course is available 24/7. Watch the videos via your device; this course is self-paced. Course fee is $135 per couple, not per person (pricing includes the SYMBIS Assessment). After you register, you will receive a confirmation e-mail detailing the next steps. To register for the online class option only, click on the link immediately below. Please complete ONE REGISTRATION PER COUPLE with the GROOM’S information first.
Not necessarily. The majority of couples going through the premarital class end up getting married by a Calvary pastor or minister. However, there are some relationships that have concerns that will lead Calvary to opt out of performing the ceremony. These concerns include, but are not limited to, great financial duress in the potential marriage, refusal to abstain from sexual relations/fornication prior to marriage, serious irreconcilable conflict prior to marriage, and/or an unhealthy pattern of marriage and divorce in one’s life that has not been healed or dealt with. All who complete the class will obtain a Certificate of Completion, which can be applied to the discount the state of Florida offers. However, couples wanting to have a Calvary officiant must complete all class sessions and be approved by the premarital counselor assigned to them.
Yes, you can. However, in order to book the chapel or any of our sanctuaries for a wedding, you must successfully complete the premarital course.
We estimate that the premarital process, from class attendance to booking the date, is a minimum 90-day process. This is contingent upon successful completion of course requirements, pastor/counselor approval, and officiant and venue availability.
The online class cost is $135 per couple. After you register, you will receive a confirmation email detailing the next steps. Please complete ONE REGISTRATION PER COUPLE with the GROOM’S information first.
While our culture has evolved the definition of marriage, we believe that God alone has the ultimate authority to prescribe the marriage relationship (Gen. 2:24; Matt. 19:1; and Mark 10:1). As a result of our understanding of these scriptures, we will only recognize marriages that meet the Biblical definition: a covenant relationship between one gender-normative man and one gender-normative woman. The pastors and ministers of Calvary Chapel will only participate in weddings and officiate marriages that meet this definition. Moreover, our Premarital Ministry (954-556-4244) would be glad to sit down to discuss this matter with any couple who would like to engage in a deeper conversation.
Wednesday 12:00am – Wednesday 11:55pm | Fort Lauderdale
Learn what it takes to build a successful and godly marriage before you tie the knot through this self-paced, video-teaching of our premarital classes. This course is a requirement to be married at any of our Calvary Chapel campuses or to have one of our pastors officiate your wedding. Reading…