Bell Creek does not currently have any facilities for weddings. If we perform your wedding, we may be able to assist you in finding a facility, but we are not a wedding planning service and the responsibility will remain entirely with you.

Do I Need A Pastor to Make My Wedding Official?

No. The authority to officiate at wedding ceremonies is a privilege granted to pastors and judges throughout the country. Having a pastor officiate at a wedding ceremony is merely a custom in our society, not a specific commandment from God. A wedding ceremony performed by a judge or a justice of the peace is just as valid as one performed by a pastor.

We are honored that you would consider asking us to perform your wedding ceremony. We take the matter of officiating at weddings very seriously, and therefore we have developed the following policies which must be agreed to before we will perform a wedding ceremony. We will be glad to discuss the rationale behind these policies.

Date of the Wedding

It will take approximately 3-4 months to complete the course of marriage counseling we require. If your wedding is scheduled less than 6 months from now, we will not be able to perform your ceremony.

General Compatibility

Our responsibility as pastors requires that we examine a couple to see if they are compatible in several important areas before we consent to officiate their wedding. If, in the course of pre-marital counseling we get the sense that a couple is not compatible in a critical area, or does not seem to have the mutual willingness, effort, or intent to work for a successful marriage, we will not perform the ceremony, or we will require that the couple wait until the issue has been examined more thoroughly.

Spiritual Compatibility

Marriage is an institution that is ordained by God for all human beings (Genesis 2:24), however, we will not marry people who are spiritually incompatible (i.e. one has given their life to Christ and one has not).

Divorce

If someone who has been divorced wishes to remarry, we need to talk about the circumstances before we will consent to do the wedding. Every situation will be treated individually and with compassion.

Cohabitation

We will not marry couples who are living together prior to the marriage ceremony unless they agree to live apart until after they are married.

Christian Ceremony

If you invite one of our pastors to officiate at your wedding, he will be preaching a short wedding sermon. This wedding sermon will contain a description of what marriage is, your responsibilities as individuals to each other, your responsibilities as a couple, and a reminder of the fact that "God hates divorce" (Mal. 2:16).

Pre-marital Classes

We require that both parties come to our offices for a series of 4-6 classes on marriage. In these classes, we will discuss the purpose of marriage and the God-given responsibilities of both the husband and the wife.

Wedding Vows

It is fine if you want to personalize your wedding vows, however there are certain things that we will require you to promise each other. The following is an example of what we will use:

Husband, do you take this woman to be your wedded wife? And do you promise, before God and these witnesses, that you will love her, comfort her, honor and keep her in sickness and in health; and that, forsaking all others for her alone, you will faithfully serve her so long as you both shall live?

Wife, do you take this man to be your wedded husband? And do you solemnly promise before God and these witnesses, that you will love him, comfort him, honor and cherish him, in sickness and in health; and that forsaking all others for him alone, you will faithfully serve him so long as you both shall live?

Husband, please repeat the marriage vow after me: I Husband, take you Wife to be my wedded wife. As Christ loves the Church I vow before God to be your loving and faithful husband; in joy and in sorrow, in abundance and in want, in sickness and in health. I promise to nourish and cherish you as my wife, trusting upon God’s grace to enable me to fulfill these marriage vows as long as we both shall live

Wife, please repeat the marriage vow after me: I Wife take you Husband to be my wedded husband. As Christ loves the Church I vow before God to respond and submit to your love and to be faithful; in joy and in sorrow, in abundance and in want, in sickness and in health. I promise to love and to respect you as my husband, trusting upon my Lord’ grace to enable me to fulfill these marriage vows as long as we both shall live.

Arrangements

When a couple decides to get married, it seems like everyone has an opinion as to what should take place at the ceremony. However, the only person we will take orders from concerning the actual wedding ceremony is the bride.

If you have any questions Please Contact Us!