Just as each person has a unique fingerprint, so each marriage has a unique “marriageprint,” a distinctiveness that belongs to each couple alone. God unites couples to do together what they could never do alone. God has brought you together as man and wife to do what no other union in the world can do.
So what is it that God wants you to do? What impact does He want you to make?
To help you answer that question, I’d like to show you how to write a Marriage Mission Statement. The statement is the product. The real work to marriage mission is the process that you need to work through together.
Why Should We Write a Marriage Mission Statement?
- A mission or purpose defines the long-term reason for the existence of your marriage. Marriage is more than having a ceremony and setting up a house. A mission provides the meaning and significance. It articulates why your marriage is more than individual gratification.
- A mission describes a marriage bigger than the parts and the sum of the parts. Internally focused marriages are not fulfilling. Successful and satisfying marriages have a mission to God, each other, family, church, community, and the world.
- A mission guides a couple to a goal and motivates them to make the sacrifices necessary to reach the goal.
Writing a Marriage Mission Statement
I have every couple I marry write a Marriage Mission Statement. The statement is printed in the wedding program and I include it in the ceremony. I understand that the mission will become more specific as the couple’s relationship matures. But the mission helps a couple begin their relationship in harness together, heading the same direction at the same time for the same reasons.
Here are some examples of Marriage Mission Statements:
We made a decision to honor God together after choosing him for ourselves. We believe God brought us together and has plans for us that we cannot achieve on our own. This means stepping out in faith to follow God, recognizing that his plans may not be our plans. We desire to serve each other living out “I’m Third,” knowing this will require sacrifice, dedication and most importantly love. With that in mind we commit our lives to each other and Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.
We publicly proclaim our faith in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. It is through Him alone that our sins are forgiven and that we may have a personal relationship with God. We commit to love one another with Jesus Christ as the foundation of our marriage. We commit to use the gifts The Lord has blessed us with to serve our family, friends, church and those in need. We pray that by God’s strength and guidance this mission statement will not be only words but visibly evident to others in the way we live our lives from this day forward.
We publicly acknowledge our faith in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, for it is by His grace and perfect will that we have been brought together. We commit to always keep Christ as the foundation of our marriage. We promise to always encourage each other and continually grow in our relationship with God, both as individuals and as a couple. We will not let anything come between us, and we will demonstrate our love for each other every day. We commit to honoring one another’s dreams and desires. We are committed to prayer and being in God’s word daily. We will raise our children in a house that loves and serves the Lord by demonstrating to them the importance of living a life holy and pleasing to God. We promise to love and support our extended families. We desire to build relationships and to serve within our church family. We commit to serving people both in our community and around the world. We commit to demonstrate to a watching world that God has us on a mission to further His kingdom.