Getting Married at Valley
Congratulations on your upcoming wedding! We're happy that you are considering Valley as the place to begin this journey. As you anticipate your marriage and all the aspects of planning a wedding, please know that our goal at Valley is to help you have a successful marriage that glorifies God. While we certainly want the wedding to be a memorable event for you, we are even more interested in preparing you to be successful as husband and wife. If the process seems to be longer or more involved than you thought it would be, please know that we feel a moral obligation not to rush you into a wedding without adequate pre-marital preparation.
Beliefs Guiding Marriage in the Church:
We, the Valley Community Baptist Church (VCBC), believe that marriage was instituted by God and not humans, and therefore, is subject to the guidelines of Scripture. We believe that God's desire for marriage is that it be a committed relationship to be terminated only by the death of one of the spouses. (Genesis 2:18; Matthew 19:1-9)
We also believe that the marriage relationship is to be modeled after the relationship between Christ and the church. (Ephesians 5:22-28)
Principles Guiding Marriage in the Church:
Marriages may be performed when both individuals are Christians.
Marriages may not performed when one of the individuals is a non-Christian and the other individual is a Christian. (II Corinthians 6:14)
The Senior Pastor at Valley must approve any wedding to be performed at Valley.
The ceremony itself falls under the jurisdiction of a Pastor at Valley or another clergyman approved by the Senior Pastor or Board of Elders.
Engagement Covenant:
Believing that marriage is a holy and sacred gift from God between a man and a woman
(Genesis 1:27), it is our desire that couples approach marriage according to biblical standards and in a way that is pleasing to God. In this regard, we ask all couples to sign an Engagement Covenant as a sign of commitment to one another and to God as they prepare for marriage.
VCBC Marriage Preparation Process
1. All couples are to participate in an initial meeting with the Pastor of Marriage and Family to
request a wedding date, to request a pastor, and to sign our Wedding Planning Agreement.
2. All couples are required to take the PREPARE-ENRICH online profile assessment. These results
are emailed directly to the Pastor of Marriage and Family.
3. All couples have a PREPARE-ENRICH results follow-up meeting with the Pastor of Marriage and
Family.
4. The Pastor of Marriage and Family approves date request and sends request for marriage to
Valley Senior Pastor for approval. Date is set tentatively on church calendar.
5. Couples will meet with a marriage mentor couple from the church approximately 4-6 times to
work through important aspects of marriage brought forth by the PREPARE-ENRICH online
profile assessment.
6. Couple will meet with a VCBC Wedding Advisor.
7. After the pre-marital mentoring, couple will meet with the officiating pastor. No
meeting with the officiating pastor can take place until completion of pre-marital mentoring.
8. Couple will participate in post-marital meetings with the marriage mentor couple approximately
every three months in the first year of marriage.
General Policies for Weddings at VCBC
1. Weddings may not conflict with the scheduled services of the church or any other church
activity. The scheduled dates are contingent upon the completion of pre-marital mentoring.
2. The Sanctuary is available for weddings for members and regular attendees of the church
(including immediate family members).
3. For a Saturday wedding, no wedding may begin before 10 a.m. or start after 12 p.m. The
wedding must be completed and the church vacated by 2 p.m.
...Read more General Policies for Weddings at VCBC.
