Most premarital couples spend far more time, energy, and resources preparing for their wedding ceremony, which lasts only a day than they do preparing for their actual marriage relationship, which God intended to last a lifetime. Growing Marriages is committed to providing that preparation as well as continued opportunities for development after marriage.
What can I expect from the Pre-marital Program?
When you contact us to request going through our Pre-marital program, you will be contacted to discuss some basic information like…are you engaged? If so, when is your wedding date? Where are you located? When would be good times to meet with the Mentor Couple? Once we have this information, the Mentor Couple will then contact you directly to set up a time to meet and begin the process.
They will ask you for your email addresses so that you can take the PREPARE online assessment that will be used throughout the process to discuss issues specific to you and your partner. There are about 240-265 “statements” you will respond to. It takes about 30-45 minutes to complete. Don’t over-think your answers or go back and change answers once you have answered them. The assessment works best if you give a quick, honest response. Don’t worry, this isn’t a test with “right” and “wrong” answers. It’s designed to give a “snapshot” of where your relationship as a couple is at that particular moment in time. It’s just a tool for the Mentor Couple to use in your discussions. If at any time you would like to change Mentor Couples for whatever reason, contact us and we will do our best to match you up with another couple.
At your first meeting with your Mentor Couple, you will also receive a book to be read and discussed as a couple on your own time. We have found this book an excellent resource for preparing for the challenges of married life and well worth the time to read and discuss. You will read the book on your own time and will not be discussing these at your sessions with your Mentor Couple unless you choose to. Your time with your Mentor Couple is designed to discuss issues related to your assessment results and issues that are specific to you as a couple.
Who can go through the Growing Marriages premarital program?
Growing Marriages is a ministry in Colorado Springs, CO. Our home church is Mountain Springs Church. You should be within comfortable driving distance to meet with your Mentor Couple. In some cases, it might be possible to conduct sessions online, but that will depend on the Mentor Couple’s availability. In general, this is a local ministry and program. However, our online resources are available to anyone with internet access.
You don’t need to be engaged to go through our program. In fact, it is ideal to go through this program before you have made a marriage commitment so you can determine if you both are compatible for a lifetime relationship. That way, if issues arise that need to be addressed before you get married, you will have time to work on them and then go into your marriage relationship as two healthy individuals joining together to make a healthy married couple. We suggest that once you both are serious about your relationship and want to confirm whether or not you are ready for a lifetime commitment as man and wife, you are ready to go through our program.
What is the cost of the program?
We currently are not charging couples for this service. However, there is a cost for the PREPARE online inventory of $35 payable by credit card when you log in to the assessment. There is also an additional cost of $25 per couple for the book that will be handed out at your first session.
How long will the program last?
Typically our program includes 4-6 90-minute sessions, meeting every other week. You should allow for this amount of time in your planning. If necessary, upon review, we may make an exception and customize the program for an unusual circumstance.
Where will we meet?
That will be worked out between you and your Mentor Couple when they contact you.
How do I get started?
Just fill out our contact form and write in the comment area that you would like to get connected with a Mentor Couple and start the Pre-marital program, or you want to get more information about our program. We will respond as soon as possible to start the process.