Community Marriage Policy Formation Guide

Want to grow a Community Marriage Policy in your area?

Here's a handy check-list:

• Prepare the soil
  • Pray. Ask God to lead each step.
  • Build trusting relationships with a wide range of pastors.
     
• Plant the idea
  • Share the idea with pastors individually and in small groups.
  • Listen to their feedback. Shape your next steps.
  • Form a steering committee to bring area clergy together.
  • Invite area clergy to a luncheon or other meeting. Present the idea.
     
• Cultivate the crop
  • Form a representative committee to draft a policy.
  • Schedule follow-up meetings for the committee to report back to the others.
  • Come to consensus.
     
• Harvest the results
  • Set up a public signing ceremony. Invite the media.
  • Publicize community resources that help couples prepare for and strengthen their marriages.
  • Implement the policy. Examples: Train marriage mentors; offer workshops on how to administer relationship profiles; teach communications skills.
  • Network pastors and people for prayer, support, and on-going training.
  • Develop objective ways to measure the effectiveness of the policy.
  • Share what God has done in your community with others.

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