A wedding is a very special occasion in the life of a family. It is unlikely that you will include most of the members of your church family in your actual ceremony.

However, your congregation can enrich your marriage. After all, a church wedding is a marriage that takes place in a congregation rather than simply in that congregation's building.

The congregation also celebrates the goodness of God that is shared on such joyous occasions. As one way of showing their support, a congregation welcomes the opportunity to pray for a couple being married in its church building.

More and more Lutheran congregations are insisting that couples take time to prepare for marriage, even if they have already been living together for some time.

This is also true of couples who may have been married before. If a previous marriage ended in divorce, we want to try to help the couple to learn something that may keep them from making the same mistakes again.

Sometimes the minister conducts special classes or has a series of conversations with just the couple. At other times couples from several congregations attend special classes together. A variety of leaders speak on different subjects such as financial planning, relationships, communication and sexuality.

There are no particular rules in the ELCIC about whom we may marry and whom we may not marry. It's usually left with the pastor to decide.

Although the Bible says that Jesus recognized adultery as the only grounds for divorce, many of us take the position that some marriages are better ended to stop a lot of pain and misery. We also feel that divorced people should have the chance to try again.