Clatsop County Marriage Agreement
Signed February 14, 2001
By God's grace, we commit ourselves to implement the minimum standards of the Marriage Agreement, and to work with other ministers in order to support marriages in our communities.
As ministers in Clatsop County, we affirm that God has established marriage as a holy institution, and desires that marriage be honored and esteemed among us as a life-long commitment. As spiritual counselors for our congregations, we witness both the joys of marriage and the pain of divorce. We are deeply concerned at the high rate of marital instability and divorce in Oregon and particularly in Clatsop County. Because ministers perform 75% of all marriage ceremonies, we want to take seriously our responsibility and opportunity to influence as many marriages as possible to be loving, healthy and long-lasting. Research affirms that couples who earnestly engage in premarital counseling have a better understanding of the marriage relationship and, in turn, have better marriages. By establishing this Agreement we, as a community of ministers, desire to increase the percentage of healthy marriages and significantly reduce the rate of failing marriages in Clatsop County.
We believe:
- That God has established the sanctity and companionship of marriage in Scripture.
- That God intends the marriage bond of husband and wife to last a lifetime.
- That as Christian leaders we have a responsibility to provide ongoing support to strengthen and nourish marriages.
Therefore we will:
- Expect a minimum of four months of preparation for marriage.
- Expect a minimum of four pre-marital consultation hours, to include
one or more of the following:
- The use of Scripture
- Topics that cover expectations, commitment, communication, prayer, finances, sexuality, conflict resolution, and other key issues that affect the marriage relationship
- The completion of at least one personality or relational inventory (such as PREPARE, FOCCUS, TJTA, Meyers-Briggs)
- Attendance at a pre-marital course or Engaged Encounter.
- Expect participation in a faith community during the process of preparation.
- Strongly encourage:
- The couple to be sexually abstinent from the beginning of counseling until marriage
- Mentoring by a seasoned couple
- Utilizing or developing support systems for couples dealing with special issues such as blended families or marriages that cross racial or denominational lines
- Cooperation with other congregations and organizations to share resources and to create a positive climate in which all marriages are helped to succeed.
