Premarital Expectaions & Registration
Marriage is described as the epitome of Jesus’ relationship with the church in Ephesians 5. This
speaks of sacrifice, selflessness, servanthood, humility, forgiveness, mercy, compassion, and a
host of other virtues. At FCC, we feel responsible to help couples prepare on every level for the
commitment before them and take our role of cultivating marriages that last very seriously.
We have outlined several steps to help you build a satisfying, loving, and grace- filled marriage
that will last a lifetime, throughout the process for marriage at FCC. Through the years, we have
seen God’s best come from couples with a solid, intentional, and detailed preparation for their
marriage. Know that the time you spend during your engagement should be viewed as an
investment in your future health together emotionally, physically, sexually, psychologically,
relationally, financially, and spiritually.
The wedding process at Fusion will take many months to complete and inside, this packet will
outline the entire process. Beginning with requesting and scheduling premarital counseling and
ending with a wedding ceremony officiated by a Fusion Pastor.
If you have any questions at all, please contact our Office Manager, Brenda.
Phone: 518-234-8339
Email: Office@FusionCommunity.Church
speaks of sacrifice, selflessness, servanthood, humility, forgiveness, mercy, compassion, and a
host of other virtues. At FCC, we feel responsible to help couples prepare on every level for the
commitment before them and take our role of cultivating marriages that last very seriously.
We have outlined several steps to help you build a satisfying, loving, and grace- filled marriage
that will last a lifetime, throughout the process for marriage at FCC. Through the years, we have
seen God’s best come from couples with a solid, intentional, and detailed preparation for their
marriage. Know that the time you spend during your engagement should be viewed as an
investment in your future health together emotionally, physically, sexually, psychologically,
relationally, financially, and spiritually.
The wedding process at Fusion will take many months to complete and inside, this packet will
outline the entire process. Beginning with requesting and scheduling premarital counseling and
ending with a wedding ceremony officiated by a Fusion Pastor.
If you have any questions at all, please contact our Office Manager, Brenda.
Phone: 518-234-8339
Email: Office@FusionCommunity.Church
The following guidelines are offered to help you as you enter the process of the premarital
program.
1. Contact the church office to schedule an appt with the Pastor who you would like to
perform the ceremony as soon you are engaged, or sooner if you plan on getting married
within 6 months.
2. You will be able to reserve your wedding date on the church calendar when you have
successfully completed this packet, all assignments requested through your counseling
sessions, and with the approval of the pastor you meet with.
3. We understand that none of us come from sinless backgrounds, and that God's grace offers
forgiveness for our sins. But where a couple chooses to continue in a life-style of sinful
behavior (see Gal. 5:19-21) the FCC Pastoral staff has the right to deny the request for a
marriage ceremony.
4. FCC does not decide who will be married and when. Each Pastor makes his/her own
decision to perform a ceremony based on all of the information gathered.
5. It is imperative that couples contact the Fusion Office a minimum of 6 months prior to the
preferred wedding date so the process can begin.
program.
1. Contact the church office to schedule an appt with the Pastor who you would like to
perform the ceremony as soon you are engaged, or sooner if you plan on getting married
within 6 months.
2. You will be able to reserve your wedding date on the church calendar when you have
successfully completed this packet, all assignments requested through your counseling
sessions, and with the approval of the pastor you meet with.
3. We understand that none of us come from sinless backgrounds, and that God's grace offers
forgiveness for our sins. But where a couple chooses to continue in a life-style of sinful
behavior (see Gal. 5:19-21) the FCC Pastoral staff has the right to deny the request for a
marriage ceremony.
4. FCC does not decide who will be married and when. Each Pastor makes his/her own
decision to perform a ceremony based on all of the information gathered.
5. It is imperative that couples contact the Fusion Office a minimum of 6 months prior to the
preferred wedding date so the process can begin.
Some Keys to Lifelong Love For anyone contemplating marriage, here are a few straightforward recommendations that will
increase the chance of experiencing a marriage unlike most of our culture and actually living
happily ever after:
1. "Don't marry the person you think you can live with. Marry the one you can't live without."
Marriage can be difficult even when two people are passionately in love with one another,
but it is murder when they don't even have that foundation to build on.
2. Don't marry someone who has characteristics that you feel are intolerable. You may plan to
change him or her in the future, but that probably won't happen. Behavior runs in deep
channels that were cut during early childhood, and it is very difficult to alter them. In order
to change a deeply ingrained pattern, you have to build a sturdy dam, dig another canal
and reroute the river in a new direction. That effort is rarely successful over the long haul.
Therefore, if you can't live with a characteristic that shows up during courtship, it may
plague you for the rest of your life.
3. Do not marry impulsively! I can think of no better way to mess up your life than to leap into
this critical decision without careful thought and prayer. Remember, the dating relationship
is designed to conceal information, not reveal it. Both partners put on their best faces for
the one they seek to attract. They guard secrets that might be a turn-off. Therefore, many
newlyweds get a big surprise during the first year of married life. I suggest that you take at
least a year to get beyond the facade and into the inner character of the person.
4. If you are a deeply committed Christian, do not allow yourself to become "unequally
yoked" with an unbeliever. You may expect to win your spouse to the Lord at some future
date, and that does happen an occasion. But to count on it is risky at best, and foolhardy at
worst. Again, this is the question that must be answered: "Just how critical is it that my
husband (or wife) shares my faith?" If it is essential non-negotiable, as Scripture tells us it
should be for believers, then that matter should be given high priority in the decision to
marry.
5. Marriage is about your new life together, not the wedding ceremony. You have a choice to
keep the right perspective or become consumed with an event that lasts for just a few hours
of your life. Yes, the wedding ceremony is important and special, but it is much less
important that your marriage, the home you will build together, the family you will raise,
and the rest of your lives together. The ceremony is not the emphasis, the marriage is.
6. Do not move in with a person before marriage. To do so is a bad idea for many reasons.
First, it is immoral and a violation of God's law. Second, it undermines a relationship and
often leads to divorce. Studies show that couples who live together before marriage have a
50 percent greater chance of divorce than those who don't--based on 50 years of data.
Those who cohabit also have less satisfying and more unstable marriages.
7. Take advantage of this Pre-Marital process to unearth any potential hesitations you have
about the person you will marry. You have to be honest throughout this Pre-Marital
process. If you have things you are unsure about or that you struggle with, NOW is the time
to bring them up. Not after you walk down the aisle. Be bold, be honest, and be real to
maximize this season of preparation before you get married.
8. Finally, the ultimate secret of lifelong love is this: Simply put, the stability of marriage is a
by-product of an iron-willed determination to make it work. If you choose to marry, enter
into that covenant with the resolve to remain committed to each other for life. Never
threaten to leave your mate during angry moments. Don't allow yourself to consider even
the possibility of divorce. Calling it quits must not become an option for those who want to
go the distance!
increase the chance of experiencing a marriage unlike most of our culture and actually living
happily ever after:
1. "Don't marry the person you think you can live with. Marry the one you can't live without."
Marriage can be difficult even when two people are passionately in love with one another,
but it is murder when they don't even have that foundation to build on.
2. Don't marry someone who has characteristics that you feel are intolerable. You may plan to
change him or her in the future, but that probably won't happen. Behavior runs in deep
channels that were cut during early childhood, and it is very difficult to alter them. In order
to change a deeply ingrained pattern, you have to build a sturdy dam, dig another canal
and reroute the river in a new direction. That effort is rarely successful over the long haul.
Therefore, if you can't live with a characteristic that shows up during courtship, it may
plague you for the rest of your life.
3. Do not marry impulsively! I can think of no better way to mess up your life than to leap into
this critical decision without careful thought and prayer. Remember, the dating relationship
is designed to conceal information, not reveal it. Both partners put on their best faces for
the one they seek to attract. They guard secrets that might be a turn-off. Therefore, many
newlyweds get a big surprise during the first year of married life. I suggest that you take at
least a year to get beyond the facade and into the inner character of the person.
4. If you are a deeply committed Christian, do not allow yourself to become "unequally
yoked" with an unbeliever. You may expect to win your spouse to the Lord at some future
date, and that does happen an occasion. But to count on it is risky at best, and foolhardy at
worst. Again, this is the question that must be answered: "Just how critical is it that my
husband (or wife) shares my faith?" If it is essential non-negotiable, as Scripture tells us it
should be for believers, then that matter should be given high priority in the decision to
marry.
5. Marriage is about your new life together, not the wedding ceremony. You have a choice to
keep the right perspective or become consumed with an event that lasts for just a few hours
of your life. Yes, the wedding ceremony is important and special, but it is much less
important that your marriage, the home you will build together, the family you will raise,
and the rest of your lives together. The ceremony is not the emphasis, the marriage is.
6. Do not move in with a person before marriage. To do so is a bad idea for many reasons.
First, it is immoral and a violation of God's law. Second, it undermines a relationship and
often leads to divorce. Studies show that couples who live together before marriage have a
50 percent greater chance of divorce than those who don't--based on 50 years of data.
Those who cohabit also have less satisfying and more unstable marriages.
7. Take advantage of this Pre-Marital process to unearth any potential hesitations you have
about the person you will marry. You have to be honest throughout this Pre-Marital
process. If you have things you are unsure about or that you struggle with, NOW is the time
to bring them up. Not after you walk down the aisle. Be bold, be honest, and be real to
maximize this season of preparation before you get married.
8. Finally, the ultimate secret of lifelong love is this: Simply put, the stability of marriage is a
by-product of an iron-willed determination to make it work. If you choose to marry, enter
into that covenant with the resolve to remain committed to each other for life. Never
threaten to leave your mate during angry moments. Don't allow yourself to consider even
the possibility of divorce. Calling it quits must not become an option for those who want to
go the distance!