Grace Marrieds: Strengthening Marriage Through The Church
Just married? Marriage and the church go hand-in-hand. Grace Marrieds is a bible study and fellowship group that brings the community of married couples together to help strengthen them as individuals, and as a team. We help young married couples from all walks of life to grow in their walk with Jesus Christ. Learn more about the importance of the church and marriage in this article.
How Will The Church Benefit My Marriage?
A new marriage is an exciting time for a couple. You still have the butterflies of the excitement of entering into a new adventure of your life. After the initial excitement wears down, you may find difficulties adjusting and navigating your way through married life. Sometimes unpredictable events occur, such as someone losing their job, or you may find yourself arguing with your spouse over not spending enough time with you.
Nobody can prepare you for the trials and tribulations you will face in life. Marriage is no different. These reactions during tough times don’t mean you don’t love each other or that you’re a bad person, it is just part of the journey you have to take as a married couple.
Unfortunately, most couples do not have guidance to show them what a healthy, biblical marriage is. Their problems can sometimes be easily solved with the right teachings, or they might need someone to guide them to help them to find their way back on the right path. How will they ever find it without guidance? It’s hard to turn to family or friends in these times, especially if the couple is from a background that doesn’t accept or support your marriage. These individuals will often turn to divorce as a solution to every problem.
If you are one of the married couples facing difficulties, you need a mentor that will help you to process your problems. You need someone who can understand you and guide you on your path. Here is where the church comes in. Churches are today more than just places of prayer. Mentoring has become a huge part of the church and more people, such as older church couples and priests are willing to invest their time to help younger couples to navigate their way through life.
How Does The Church Help Younger Married Couples?
Apart from mentoring, churches today have many guidance and teaching workshops and classes to help young couples through their marriage. Grace Marrieds is one of these groups committed to helping couples of all diversities and walks of life. We invest in the lives of young people and help to show them what marriage means.
In Titus 2:2-8, Paul encourages the older members of the church to teach the younger. It is important to teach young couples that marriage is about growing together, rather than perfection. We, therefore, follow church teaching that is aimed to guide younger couples, and not judging them. If you are looking for a strong Bible-centered marriage, our mentors will help you with the guidance that you need through group classes that focus on passages of Scripture and books that can help you. If you need more specific help, you can use one-on-one mentoring or reach out for help and the church will help you in any way we can.
It’s important to remember that it’s not just about receiving spiritual help. There is a time that you need to speak to your spouse and pray with the person but you may find it difficult to do so even if the relationship is strained or either of you is experiencing a difficult time. The church can help you during these challenging times by providing you with a safe place where you both can go to find peace and love for each other and yourself again.
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The Benefits of Fellowship Groups
1. It can help couples to communicate and be heard
A congregation is helpful but sometimes you may require more personalized help. A fellowship group or biblical group (bible study) is mentoring done by the church aimed toward small and intimate groups. The small group format provides a tighter bond than with the congregation, making it easier for couples to discuss marriage with like-minded individuals who are going through the same experiences they are.
2. It can help couples to bond with other couples
Young married couples today live busy lives and they may not have a place to share their feelings or people to talk to. A small group can foster and build deeper relationships.
The church group provides them with other couples who they can bond with and who can help them through issues they face daily.
3. Church creates a safe environment to work through personal issues
The small group format of a church group helps to create a safe environment for couples to open up about their problems. If they are facing challenges that are beyond the scope of their marriage, they can connect with the church and discuss these issues and work through them which will help them to connect with their spouse on a deep level.
4. Learning God’s principles
The small group does not just teach general marriage principles, but young couples can begin to learn God’s principles. The teaching they receive from church mentors will help them to find a common bond to bring them back to each other during difficult times.
5. Learn from experienced mentors
Fellowship groups help young couples to learn from older couples who have been through the issues they are experiencing. These couples know the problems that newly married couples face and can offer valuable insight and advice to help them out. They can teach them to navigate through marriage and how to find love for each other even during tough times.
Marriage is a blessing but it is not always easy. Grace Marrieds can provide you with help and guidance as you settle into your new life together as a married couple. If you’re one of these couples and want to find out more, here are some frequently asked questions to help you out:
What is Grace Marrieds All About?
Grace Marrieds is a bible study and fellowship group hosted by Grace Church. It aims to create a community of married couples that enables marriages to be strengthened and individuals to grow. The group works together in their walk with Jesus Christ. Grace Marrieds consists of a small group of young, married couples or newlywed couples mentored by church mentors. Every member gets a chance to participate if they want to and share their story with the church. Although the group is centered around marriage, the church is also a focus. The group is open to all members of the church.
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My Marriage is Fine, Do I Need The Church?
The church is an important aspect of your life. Even if your marriage is doing great right now, you are bound to face situations that might leave you frustrated and overwhelmed. Having a community you can lean on allows you to be prepared during these difficult times. You’ll have a supportive group whenever you need an ear. Apart from the members, the church itself will bring a lot of peace and love to your life which will help you and your spouse to pull through on difficult days. It will also give you something to bond over, especially if you choose to expand your family.
What Is The Role of The Church In Marriage?
Marriage is an institution but it is not always easy to sustain. Many young couples go into marriage with the mindset that it brings them perfect happiness and a conflict-free living situation with their partner. They end up receiving a huge awakening when they experience marital troubles as a result of this unrealistic mindset. The church helps to remind couples that marriage is designed to create a partnership with realistic expectations of each other. During difficult periods in a marriage, the church helps couples to pursue God together who will help steer them in the right direction.
What Does The Bible Say About Marriage?
God designed marriage as a partnership and a loyal bond between two individuals. According to the bible, marriage is the foundation to build a family. Marriage is the expression of love and intimacy. The concept of marriage is linked to Jesus in many references in the bible. For example, Jesus refers to himself as the “bridegroom” and the kingdom of heaven as a “wedding banquet.” These references tell us that He created marriage not just for happiness or repopulation of the world, but to express His eternal existence.
Advice for Couples Going Through a Difficult Time in Their Marriage
It may be tough to navigate through your marriage if you are going through a tough time. Whether it was a simple argument or a serious issue that has affected your marriage, here are some tips to help you out:
- Remember that you are both human beings with strengths and weaknesses
- Learn to focus on your spouse’s strengths rather than criticize their weaknesses
- Encourage solutions and discussions rather than criticism and arguing
- Do not gossip about your spouse. Pray for them and ask God to give them strength. Pray for your spouse instead of gossiping about them
- Trust in Christ. Learn His teaching and live according to his teachings.
- Love others the way Christ loves us all.
Marriage Needs God’s Grace
Marriage can be difficult. Instead of choosing anger and resentment, focus on God and his teachings. Jesus teaches us forgiveness. If problems can be resolved, couples should do their best to work together to find solutions. Young couples should try to put their differences aside and try to find common ground. That common ground is the church. Praying together is a good way to help couples with strengthening their bond with each other and with the Lord. Even though marriage can leave them feeling overwhelmed at times, forming a Christ-centered relationship and putting in the hard work can help them to establish a long-lasting partnership.
Does Grace Church Support Diversity?
Our diversity sets us apart at Grace Church. We believe diversity is a fundamental value and it must be established in the church. Our goal is to provide a glimpse of heaven in any way we can to our church members as per the bible “After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne” (revelation 7:9). With this goal, we provide a journey that is multi-generational and multi-cultural. Our non-denominational church located in the heart of Plano is open to all community members. No matter where you’re from, we would like you to make Grace Plano your home.
When Does Grace Marrieds Meet and What Are Other Group Options Available?
Grace Marrieds meets on Sundays at 10:15 am in Room 244.
We also have other groups available for members of the church or community members looking to join the church. These groups are listed below:
- Bible by the book: Bible by the Book is a Life Group open to everyone in the church – young, old, single, married, men, and women.
- Journey: An exciting LIFE Group that believes the journey is just as important as the destination. Our class format focuses on group interaction to learn from each other’s life experiences
- Youth and kids groups: We offer community outreach and social activities for young adults and a youth group for kids
- Women and men’s groups
- Senior group
Contact us to join Grace Marrieds or for more information on marriage and the church.
Join a LifeGroup, meet during our 9:00 & 10:15 am service time