Many years ago we made a decision as a church not to do “fly by” weddings. You know what I mean. A person who is not connected to your church (and usually no other church) calls the office line and requests a pastor to do their wedding.
We made this decision because we believe what the Bible says about marriage. We also believe lots of other stuff the Bible says :).
So, what did we do?
We agreed on a policy and implemented it using an operating procedure. That’s right! We actually have a “Wedding Operating Procedure.” Crazy isn’t it?
The procedure outlines the steps a couple must take to have a CCV pastor do their wedding. Oh, and there are a few “requirements” they must meet. No exceptions!
Here are the “key” requirements:
- At least one party has been a regular attendee of CCV for at least 6 months.
- The party who has attended CCV for at least 6 months must have been baptized by immersion.
- The couple must successfully complete 6 weeks of premarital counseling by a Christian counselor licensed in the State of Pennsylvania. The counseling must be completed at least 2 months prior to the wedding date.
- If the couple is living together and/or sexually active, they must agree to stay apart sexually from the date of signing the CCV Wedding Agreement until the wedding night.
Needless to say these requirements prevent fly by weddings. They also actually require something of a couple wishing to be married by a Christian church pastor.
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