Marriage Preparation & Support
In the wedding ceremony, the congregation promises to support and encourage a couple in their marriage. At First Lutheran, we believe it is important to live up to this promise. Therefore, we offer several ways to support you after you are married and as you begin your life together, in addition to marriage preparation. This is also why we ask you to meet with the pastor again about three months after your wedding date, to check in and to continue to offer support as you begin your married life together. If you will be living locally, we also invite you to be active participants in the First Lutheran Church community, as we continue to support you and journey with you in faith.
Marriage Preparation
The marriage preparation we require of all couples married through First Lutheran Church is to meet with the pastor prior to your wedding date to discuss your relationship, the marriage covenant you are entering into, and the role of faith in your married life. The pastor will also offer additional resources (listed below) to help support you as you prepare and enter into your marriage, which may be done either before or after your actual wedding date. These are not requirements for marriage at First Lutheran, but they are strongly encouraged and offered to you as you prepare for and begin your marriage.
Relationship Assessment Tools
Our pastors are trained and certified to administer the following relationship assessment tools and counseling for couples:
Each of these options includes taking an assessment and then meeting with the pastor for one or more sessions to go over the assessment with you, help you better understand your relationship, and offer you some practical tools for relating to one another.
Lutheran Social Services Pre-Marriage Workshop
We encourage all couples to participate in Pre-Marriage Workshops provided by Lutheran Social Services of Wisconsin and Upper Michigan. These one-day workshops are offered throughout the year in various locations throughout Wisconsin, and about four times per year in Eau Claire. The workshop may also be attended either before or after your actual wedding date.
Marriage Milestone
We support all couples married through First Lutheran with our Marriage Milestone, held in February of each year. Part of First Lutheran’s Milestone Ministry, this milestone is designed to celebrate and bless all couples married in the past year. As this milestone approaches, we will invite you to meet with other local couples who have been married through First Lutheran in the past year and receive a blessing in worship that day. You will also be given a Couples’ Prayer Book as a gift from the congregation to encourage you in your prayer life together.
Scheduling Your Wedding & What Happens Next