It Takes Three

by Diana Davis, wife of Indiana's State Executive Director 

It does take three -- him, her, & Him -- to make a Christian marriage. Want a fresh idea to help your church reach young adults? We found great success with a seminar for engaged couples in our community. We planned a ten-week class titled "It Takes Three" during our regular Sunday School hour each fall and spring. As nearly-weds completed it, many joined our young married Bible class and it multiplied! How can you get started?

Form a leadership team to direct the department and to plan, publicize, and implement the seminar. Our team consisted of two mature, zealous Christian couples and myself.

Choose ten relevant Bible topics that would interest engaged couples. Your seminar could be longer or shorter to fit your church calendar, but the weekly goal is to study God's instructions for marriage. Our topics included:

- The Money Pit - Biblical finances
- Through Thick and Thin - true devotion 
- Me Tarzan, You Jane - Biblical instructions for husbands and wives
- She Loves Me - communication skills; affair-proofing marriage
- God's Design for Intimacy - Biblical study of physical intimacy
- Scriptural Advice from Proverbs - warnings and traditions
- Start Praying Now - a parenting primer
- In-laws or Outlaws? - we served early breakfast and invited future in-laws
- Closer Every Day - grow together; pray together
- A Marathon, Not a Sprint - panel of long-married couples discuss how to make marriage last.

Prayerfully recruit ten Bible teachers. While the leadership team stays the same, a different church member or couple will teach each week on their assigned topic. Ask deacons, staff and respected couples. A CPA would be perfect to teach Biblical finances. Your pastor and wife might teach a session. 

Each one-hour Bible study is self-contained. Teachers use visuals, multiple handouts, tests, quality dialogue, technology and couple assignments. They may recommend Christian reading material and give practical tips and personal illustrations. Young adults appreciate well-prepared classes and often commented, "That was the best class yet!"

Fill the classroom. Put time and effort into publicity using many methods.

 Print attractive seminar brochures. Give them to church members to invite engaged friends and relatives. Place them in bridal and floral shops.

 Rent a booth at a bridal show nearby. Create a beautiful display and give a door prize. We scheduled our seminar to begin just after the bridal show, and several couples registered each time. Many of those who were not Christians came to know Christ. Now that's worth the effort!

 Research. Scour newspapers for engagement announcements. Use Internet and reverse directories to find addresses to mail invitations and brochures.

 Write an article for the local newspaper or nearby college paper. 

 Nearly-wed church members will benefit greatly. Our pastor required each couple he married to attend the seminar.    

 Engaged couples know engaged couples. They'll invite friends.

Details matter. Use nametags. Serve bagels. Greet students warmly. Begin on time. Provide notebooks for class handouts. Take a photo of each couple as they arrive the first Sunday, then create a display to help classmates learn names. Distribute a class list with email and phone numbers. Sit as a group in worship sometimes. Present a certificate of completion to graduates. Meet for Sunday lunch. We charged a registration fee for the seminar, which exactly covered the cost of a Christian book about marriage and a personality inventory.

Call them by name. Listen. Check on them during the week. Send weekly email updates. Encourage them. Invite them to your home. Drop them a note. Plan a fellowship. Pray for them. Loan Christian books. Help them make friends at church. Minister to them in crisis. If they must miss a class, allow them to check out a video of the session. 

Share how God makes a difference in your daily life. Learn about their lives, their interests, their relation with Christ. Be sensitive to their spiritual needs. Take each couple for coffee and share God's plan of salvation.

Let them in. Assimilate nearly-wed couples after the seminar. If possible, merge your class with the youngest adult Bible class one Sunday. After meeting together, our couples were excited to "promote" into that class.

A nearly-wed seminar may be a perfect incentive to bring young couples in your community to God.

Fresh Ideas© are shared by Diana Davis, wife of Indiana's State Executive Director, Stephen Davis. Email her at jesuslivesindiana@hotmail.com .