WEDDING :
“The family tie is the closest, the most tender and sacred, of any on earth. It was designed to be a blessing to mankind. And it is a blessing whenever the marriage covenant is entered into intelligently, in the fact of God, and with due consideration for its responsibilities” Every wedding should therefore be a time of spiritually renewal, joyful celebration, and individualized service to the couple and their families.
DENOMINATIONAL GUIDELINES:
Who officiates In chapter6 Officers and Their Duties,” the church manual stipulates, “In the marriage ceremony the charge, vows, and declaration of marriage are given only by an ordained minister except in those areas where division committees have taken action to approve that selected license or commissioned ministers who have been ordained in as local elders may perform the marriage ceremony. Either an ordained ministers, license or commissioned minister, or a local elder may officiate in delivering the sermonette, offering the prayer, or in giving the blessing.” In other word words, you as local elder may not perform the entire service, but you may assist. As the ranking local leader your presence and interest can be crucial.
Pastors restricted. There are some circumstances where denominational guidelines forbid ministers to marry a given couple. There are circumstances where pastors’ own consciences prevent them from performing the ceremony. In either case, couple may feel rejected and church members may misunderstand. There is no more important or delicate time for elders to support their pastors.
Spiritual ceremony: In many countries in the world a church wedding involves both a legal contract and a spiritual commitment. In other countries a religious ceremony cannot take place until a civil/legal ceremony has taken place. Any wedding ceremony in which the secular overshadows the spiritual should be considered inappropriate in The Holy Seed Church.
Congregation guidelines: You or your pastors should lead your church in preparing wedding guidelines. Do this at a time when no request for a wedding has been received and no feelings are likely to be hurt. Give these guidelines, along with a wedding application should list specific requests of the couple and reflect that the guidelines have been read and will be followed. Study the church Manual and minister’s manual with your church board to make them aware of denominational marriage guidelines. Then, based on these and local customs/tradition, draw up your church’s own guideline.
Items you may wish to include: who may be married in the church; music whether or not the church’s wedding coordinator must be used; decoration; candles; dress, photographs; rice or confetti; reception; fees equipment and services available from the church. Exceptions to the guidelines must be few, and should be approved only by a designated committee. Pastors should not have to take full responsibility for dealing with the aggravation expressed by families whose plans have been contrary to the congregation’s guidelines.
‘And God said, let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so. And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and everything that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good’.
