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Thinking of Getting Married at JICF?

Introduction

If you are reading this pamphlet, you are likely now considering making one of the most important decisions of your life—entering into the covenant of marriage! We believe marriage is a gift from the Lord, given to us in order to put His greatness on display for the world (James 1:17, Matthew 5:14–16). While we desire couples to have a wonderful wedding day, our greatest passion is for your marriage to bring God the glory He deserves.

Why This Brochure?

As the body of Christ, we are primarily concerned with God being honored in the process of your wedding and marriage plans. Since marriage is one of the most important decisions you will ever make, we at JICF see it as our responsibility to help ensure that you are making the right decision—and, if so, to best prepare you for marriage.

We are passionate about wanting marriages at JICF to be built on a strong biblical foundation. Furthermore, we care for you and want to be sure that couples like you are supported before and after you are married. To that end, we have put together this short brochure with information on our understanding of a biblical marriage, the requirements we have established, and the practical procedures for getting married at JICF. Also, a list of further resources and contact information is at the end.

If you find yourselves not meeting the qualifications spelled out in this brochure, please come and talk to us. We would like to help you in any way we can. God bless you both as you prepare for your marriage and wedding day!

The Biblical Understanding of Marriage

We believe that marriage is a binding covenant ordained by God and intended as a lifelong commitment between one man and one woman (Genesis 1:27–28, Genesis 2:18, Matthew 19:4–9, Mark 10:5–9, Ephesians 5:31–33).

JICF understands the Bible to teach that a believer should only marry a person who is also a believer and who is similarly committed to serving our Lord Jesus Christ (II Corinthians 6:14–18). Accordingly, JICF will not perform a marriage between a believer and an unbeliever—and those of us who are part of JICF should actively discourage any believer who is considering marriage to an unbeliever.

What Is the Pre-Marital Process at JICF?

1. Pre-Marital Counseling

Couples who are considering marriage should realize it is a lifelong commitment for which careful preparation, thought, and prayer is necessary. JICF views this as a valuable investment for couples to build a strong foundation for a lasting marriage. As such, couples are required to participate in a JICF-approved pre-marital course. Pre-marital courses held by JICF are open to any couple interested in finding out more about marriage.

For couples in a serious dating relationship, pre-marital mentoring by an assigned JICF couple is also required. JICF will not conduct the wedding ceremony of any couple who has not been through both the required course and mentoring process.

We strongly encourage couples considering marriage to allow sufficient time (at least six months) to participate in both the pre-marital course and counseling before becoming publicly engaged or making marriage plans. This is in order to avoid possible embarrassment or financial loss if the marriage plans are later postponed or cancelled as a result of issues that surface during counseling.

2. Further Requirements

Based on Scriptures, JICF requires the following:

  1. Both partners are able to give clear testimony of, and evidence for, being born-again believers who have trusted in Jesus Christ as their Savior (for the forgiveness of their sins and eternal life) and Lord or Master.
  2. Both partners must be scripturally qualified to marry (see the JICF policy on Marriage, Divorce, and Remarriage).
  3. The couple is not cohabitating or sexually involved (see Cohabitation Statement and Purity Pledge).

  4. The couple honors their parents by seeking their approval.

    In addition, JICF has established the following additional requirements based on past experience to provide us with time to get to know the couple well and ensure that they are properly cared for before and after the wedding:

  5. The couple has been actively involved and serving within JICF (e.g., community groups, FIA, The Rock, Ushers) for at least six months.*

  6. The couple have regularly participated in a JICF community group together for at least six months. In this regard, the group and/or zone leader must provide a marriage recommendation by submitting a testimony about the couple.
  7. The mentor couple should have communicated with both sets of parents, if possible, since marriage unites not just individuals, but also families.

* Exceptions are possible if one person is from another church, and both are actively serving and part of the church community. In this case, written references from church leadership are required.

Divorce and Remarriage

JICF encourages couples to pursue reconciliation; therefore, will only marry a divorced person after thoroughly investigating the reasons for their divorce. JICF believes that the Bible is relatively clear in allowing remarriage of a divorced person in cases where:

  1. the person divorced due to their spouse's marital unfaithfulness, or
  2. the person was deserted by their unbelieving spouse, or
  3. the person's ex-spouse has died.

For further details, see the JICF website (https://jicf.org/marriage) for the complete Policy Statement on Marriage, Divorce and Remarriage.

Sexual Purity and Cohabitation Stance

Despite the growing popularity of sex before marriage and the practice of cohabitation within the broader culture today and even in some churches, we desire to honor Scripture with respect to these issues prior to marriage. It is JICF's conviction that sex before marriage and cohabitation are biblically sinful acts for couples (1 Thessalonians 4:3–5; Ephesians 5:3; Hebrews 13:4). If a couple decides to continue sex before marriage and/or cohabitation, such a lifestyle is evidence of unbelief (1 Corinthians 6:9) and JICF will decline to perform the wedding ceremony.

It is our observation that couples who honor the Lord in every aspect of their relationship experience greater openness, peace, and joy in marriage. Please see the Cohabitation Statement and Purity Pledge on the JICF website (https://jicf.org/marriage) for further details.

Practicalities

JICF requires couples going through the pre-marital counseling process to:

  • submit a short registration form
  • submit their written testimony of faith in Christ

Furthermore, we also encourage you to sign a purity pledge. We strongly recommend that wedding practicalities (dates, venues, etc.) are not put in place until the pre-marital counseling is completed and JICF has agreed to perform the wedding ceremony. We also encourage you not to get engaged before completing both the pre-marital course and counseling.

Contact

If you would like to start the pre-marital process or have questions about any of the information above, we would like to have the opportunity to discuss the matter with you further. Please contact the marriage ministry team via JICF church office or at marriage@jicf.org.

For further resources please visit http://jicf.org/marriage to find the following:

  • Registration form
  • JICF Statement of Beliefs
  • Policy Statement on Marriage, Divorce and Remarriage
  • Cohabitation Statement and Purity Pledge

Get in Touch

Jakarta International Christian Fellowship

2nd Floor, Graha CIMB Niaga
Jl. Jenderal Sudirman Kav. 58
Jakarta Selatan

Office Hours: Monday – Friday, 8 AM to 5 PM
Phone: +62 21 252 6719
Email: secretary@jicf.org

JICF reserves the right to refuse to perform a wedding ceremony when there is reason to believe the couple is not a good match for each other or do not fulfill the above requirements.