Growing Love in Christian Marriage Third Edition - Pastor's Manual
Published March 2013
Life together begins with a strong foundation.
This resource is ideal for clergy to use during pre-wedding counseling sessions. Pastor's Manual includes guidelines for mentoring couples. will help couples learn more about themselves and their future spouse and address potential problem areas before, rather than after, the wedding. This official United Methodist resource includes worksheets to be completed by each person, Scripture references about marriage, and interactive exercises. For use with couples of all ages, whether they are entering their first marriage or remarrying. A pack of two (identical) books, Growing Love in Christian Marriage Couples Manual is also available for purchase. Pastors can present this resource to the couples for personal use during the counseling sessions.Includes everything you need to have a comprehensive marriage ministry:
The Ministry of Marriage Preparation
The Pastor's Role (expectations and perceptions; coaching and problem solving; experiences and attitudes)
Theological Perspectives (personal responsibility and christian community; God's purposes for marriage; divorce and remarriage; marriage as vocation and covenant)
Basic Goals for Marriage Preparation Ministries (religion, money, and sex; communication skills)
Working with Couples
First Session (wedding details, assessing the couple's preparation for marriage)
Sessions with Individuals (premarital questionnaire responses, surfacing potential disagreements)
Additional Sessions (finalizing wedding plans)
Nurturing Marital Growth After the Wedding
Mentor Couples (selecting and recruiting mentor couples; leadership team; training mentor couples)
Marriage Preparation in Groups
Comprehensive Marriage Ministries (relationship education for children, youth, and young adults; enrichment opportunities for married couples; support for couples in crisis)
About the Authors
S. Clifton Ives
Bishop Ives and his wife, Jane, revised and updated The Growing Love in Christian Marriage Pastor's Handbook in 2001 and again in 2013. He served churches in Maine for thirty years, and then served as Resident Bishop in West Virginia for twelve, during which he chaired the General Board of Religion and Race and the General Board of Church and Society. Retired in 2004, he moved back to his home conference, New England. He has served interim pastorates in local churches and works with the Imagine No Malaria campaign. He has also been active in the Council of Churches, both in Maine and West Virginia. The Ives, who have been married for 55 years, have three grown and married children and seven grandchildren.
Jane P. Ives
Jane and her husband, Bishop S. Clifton Ives, revised and updated The Growing Love in Christian Marriage Pastor's Manual in 2001 and again in 2013. Jane posts "Best Practices and Recommended Resources" articles for a number of marriage and family ministry related-topics at www.marriagelovepower.net , along with a Directory of United Methodist Marriage and Family Ministries resource persons, by annual conference, and a regularly updated list of Upcoming Events and Training Opportunities. Most of these articles can also be found at www.gbod.org/marriage or www.gbod.org/families. Jane has also published Transforming Ventures: A Spiritual Guide for Volunteers in Mission and, with other writers, A Mission Journey: A Handbook for Volunteers. The Ives, who have been married for 55 years, have three grown and married children and
