Life passages As a participant Evangelical 7 min read

Evangelical wedding as a participant

What an engaged couple typically prepares for and experiences at an evangelical, Southern Baptist, non-denominational, or Pentecostal wedding.

01 Before you decide on a date

"Evangelical" covers a wide range of US Protestant churches: Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) congregations, non-denominational churches and megachurches (including Calvary Chapel, Vineyard, and Hillsong-affiliated congregations), the Assemblies of God and other Pentecostal denominations, and many smaller bodies. There are no required service books across this tradition family; each pastor and each congregation sets the form of the ceremony and the expectations for preparation.

Before a date is set, the engaged couple typically meets first with the pastor at the church where the wedding will take place. Most evangelical churches expect a lead-time of four to six months between the first meeting and the wedding date, longer if the pastor's premarital counselling programme is structured for a longer engagement.

02 Premarital counselling

Premarital counselling is standard across evangelical practice. The form varies sharply by congregation. Most pastors require four to eight sessions before they will officiate; some churches require a structured curriculum (Prepare/Enrich, SYMBIS, the *Saving Your Marriage Before It Starts* programme by Les and Leslie Parrott), while other pastors rely on conversations directly with the couple.

The topics covered are broadly consistent across evangelical traditions: communication, finances, sexuality, conflict resolution, the spiritual life of the marriage, and the biblical understanding of marriage as covenant. The format and the depth of the conversations are set by the pastor.

03 Marriage as covenant

Evangelical theology of marriage describes the marriage as a covenant rather than a sacrament. The Southern Baptist *Baptist Faith and Message 2000* (Article XVIII) calls marriage "the uniting of one man and one woman in covenant commitment for a lifetime." Most evangelical pastoral teaching frames the wedding ceremony as the public moment in which the couple makes covenant before God and the gathered church; the couple's continuing commitment to one another, to the Lord, and to the church community is the substantive content of the marriage that the wedding inaugurates.

Most evangelical, Southern Baptist, non-denominational, and Pentecostal churches limit marriage to one man and one woman. A small minority of evangelical congregations do perform same-sex weddings; the pastor at the church is the source for the local position.

04 At the ceremony

The form of an evangelical wedding ceremony is set by the pastor in conversation with the couple. There is no single binding rubric. A typical evangelical wedding includes most of these elements: a processional, a welcome and prayer of invocation, a scripture reading or two (often 1 Corinthians 13, Ephesians 5:21-33, Genesis 2:18-24, or Ecclesiastes 4:9-12), a short message on Christian marriage, the declaration of intent, the exchange of vows (often custom-written by the couple), the exchange of rings, an optional unity symbol (a unity candle, a sand ceremony, a cord of three strands, or sometimes communion), the pronouncement, the kiss, and a closing prayer.

Pentecostal congregations may include elements distinctive to Pentecostal practice: prayer for the baptism in the Holy Spirit during the ceremony, prophetic words from the officiant, an extended time of prayer over the couple. Where these are part of the ceremony, the pastor and the couple discuss them in advance.

05 After the ceremony

The signing of the marriage register and the civil marriage licence is normally done immediately after the ceremony. The marriage is registered with the local congregation (where the congregation keeps a marriage register) and with the civil authority.

The evangelical understanding of marriage is that the bond formed by covenant commitment between the spouses is permanent; divorce is a recognized reality in fallen human life but is not the goal of any Christian marriage. The continuing life of the marriage, in the church community and in the home, is what the wedding day was preparing for.

06 Common questions

Does the church perform same-sex weddings?
Most evangelical, Southern Baptist, non-denominational, and Pentecostal churches do not perform same-sex weddings, and most will not knowingly officiate for an LGBTQ+ couple. A small minority of evangelical churches (including some congregations of the Evangelical Covenant Church and some independent non-denominational churches) do perform same-sex weddings. The pastor at the church is the source for the local position.
What if one of the spouses was previously married?
Practice varies. Most Southern Baptist pastors will marry divorced persons after pastoral discernment, especially in cases of abandonment or adultery, but some will not. The Assemblies of God permits remarriage in cases of adultery, abandonment of a believer by an unbeliever, domestic violence, or pre-conversion divorce; remarriage outside these categories is permitted to lay members but restricts the person from holding ministerial credentials. Non-denominational practice varies; most will marry after pastoral discernment.
Can someone outside the church officiate?
Many evangelical and non-denominational churches will permit a guest minister, often a family friend or relative who is ordained, to share or lead the ceremony alongside the local pastor. Non-denominational churches frequently permit officiants ordained online (through bodies such as American Marriage Ministries or the Universal Life Church) when there is a personal connection to the couple, though some pastors decline to share the platform with such officiants. The local pastor is the source for what the church will permit.
Is communion included in the wedding?
Most evangelical weddings do not include the Lord’s Supper. Where it is included, it is most often shared by the bride and groom themselves only, or offered to the gathered congregation in an open invitation to all believers in Christ. The choice is generally the couple’s in conversation with the pastor.
Is premarital counselling required?
Most evangelical, Southern Baptist, non-denominational, and Pentecostal churches require some form of premarital counselling before the pastor will officiate. Format and length vary widely: typically four to eight sessions, with content covering communication, finances, sexuality, conflict resolution, and the couple’s spiritual life. Some churches require a structured curriculum (Prepare/Enrich, SYMBIS) and some rely on conversations directly with the pastor.

07 Pastoral note

Last reviewed against primary sources: May 17, 2026