I do not require premarital counseling before I’ll officiate a wedding, but that doesn’t mean I don’t believe in it. I just believe that a couple must want biblical guidance in order to benefit from it. In fact, couples who themselves understand the value of premarital counseling and engage in some sort of “premarital counseling” reduce their risk of divorcing by 30%.

I believe in premarital counseling that is marriage education based, rather than problem-issue driven. Marriage education is a lot like doing the research before you take a vacation. You figure out your travel options, plan your route, lodging, and activities with the purpose of having a pretty good understanding of what you can expect to potentially see and do while on your vacation.

If I am already booked to officiate your wedding and you want to meet in advance to talk about your upcoming marriage or issues that are causing some concern, then I am happy to meet with you at our Chapel or at a Starbucks or Dunkin Donuts, depending on our schedules and locations.

Some things to know…

• I do not tell couples they shouldn’t get married, but I will try to communicate the obstacles that you may need to work through to make marriage work.
• I am happy to refer you to an individual I know who is a professional licensed marriage and family counselor in Mobile, Alabama.
• I am a big advocate of the The 5 Love Languages, and recommend couples take this inventory so they can understand how they both feel loved and ought to love their spouse.
• I recommend visiting my Conflict Assessment page and give consideration to this assessment and what you expect from your marriage.
• I recommend visiting my 1 Corinthians 13 page and give consideration to the qualities of what “love” is in for a real marriage.

Marriage Care…

I am not a licensed or clinically trained counselor, but as a church pastor I am sometimes available to meet with a couple who would like to talk about your current relationship status and improving it or preparing for it. You may also enjoy these Marriage Care resources: Marriage Conflict Resolution • Premarital Counseling  •  “FORGIVE & LOVE” Premarital Assessment  •  “PRAYER” Resolution Guide • 5 Love Languages  •  1 Corinthians 13:4-7  •  Conflict Assessment  •  Marriage Care Inquiry