Wedding Policy
St. John Lutheran Church, Center Point, Iowa
Marriage is of God. The Triune God created the first man and the first woman in His image and in His likeness, to live in marriage, and to be fruitful and multiply (Genesis 1:26-28; 2:18-24, Ap. XIII.14). While different after the fall into sin, marriage remains an institution of God, pleasing to Him, to be held in honor among all (Genesis 3:16; Hebrews 13:4). Our Lord Jesus Christ teaches of marriage in the New Testament (Matthew, chapters 5 & 19), as do His Apostles (1 Corinthians 7; Colossians 3; 1 Timothy 4, 5; 1 Peter 3). Marriage is, in fact, a model of the relationship between Christ and the Church (Ephesians 5). As such, those to be married must be Christians (2 Corinthians 5:14). Marriage is of this body and life (Matthew 22:30). The church recognizes and holds as valid marriages performed by the state. To this point, a special rite is available for the blessing of a civil marriage.
Those desiring to be married at St. John Lutheran Church, or to have their civil marriage blessed at St. John Lutheran Church, are advised that:
1. Wedding services at St. John Lutheran Church are available only when at least the bride or groom is a confirmed, communicant member in good standing of St. John Lutheran Church, and intends to continue in that membership either at St. John Lutheran Church or at another congregation in the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. For the spiritual well-being of the couple, the benefit of the marriage, and for the spiritual well-being and Christian training of any children, it is strongly recommended that both bride and groom be communicant members in good standing of the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. In any case, one of the couple must be a confirmed, communicant member of St. John Lutheran Church, and the other must be a practicing Christian as determined by St. John Lutheran Church’s Pastor.
a. As cohabitation (i.e. living together before marriage) is sin against the Sixth Commandment, a couple who is cohabitating shall not have their wedding conducted at St. John Lutheran Church or by her clergy until they have repented and resolved said cohabitation.
i. Repentance and absolution must be sought and fruits of repentance must be present, as deemed appropriate and satisfactory by the Pastor(s) of St. John Lutheran Church.
2. A wedding at St. John Lutheran Church is in every aspect a worship service in which, we worship our gracious and loving God. For that reason, the service itself shall be planned with that in mind. Such services are intended for members in good standing of the congregation. Thus, all the regular rubrics for a wedding service pertain. (This includes Synodical guidelines for clergy participation, music used, orders of Service, the conduct of the wedding party and worshippers.) The Pastor with the help of his Board of Elders are responsible to oversee these matters.
a. The wedding party and all guests shall conduct themselves with proper decorum in the church building, parking lot, and grounds. The building is smoke-free.
b. Photographers shall check with the Pastor before the service for instruction.
c. No rice or confetti may be thrown inside or outside of the church grounds and no bubbles shall be blown inside of the church grounds.
d. The altar parament and vestment color for weddings is the color of the preceding liturgical Sunday. White may also be used depending on the time of the Church Year. The parament and vestment color is up to the discretion of the Pastor(s) of St. John Lutheran Church.
e. No runners shall be used.
f. The janitor and organist fees will be approved periodically by the Board of Elders. The Pastor will report these fees to the couple at the preparation sessions.
g. Any and all special situations not covered by these guidelines shall be decided by the Pastor(s) of St. John Lutheran Church in consultation with the Board of Elders.
h. The Pastor(s) of St. John Lutheran Church shall have final say concerning the order of service during any wedding service, as is the case during any and all worship services at St. John Lutheran Church.
3. Since a wedding is a worship service of the church, all songs and hymnody shall be selected from Lutheran Service Book, the hymnal of our church, in consultation with the Pastor. Secular music or music from other Christian denominations, which is in good taste, may be used as a prelude or postlude with permission. Such secular music shall not be vulgar, or teach a false view of God or of man or of marriage, or be set to music inappropriate for a church service. All such music is subject to approval by the Pastor(s) of St. John Lutheran Church.
4. Because of the celebratory nature of the wedding service and reception, weddings shall not be scheduled during penitential seasons (Advent & Lent).
5. The Pastor shall be provided with the appropriate marriage license documents no later than the day before the wedding. It is against Iowa State Law for the Pastor to conduct a wedding without them.
6. If, for a special reason, a member of a sister congregation wishes to use St. John Lutheran Church for a wedding, the following guidelines will be in effect.
a. The home Pastor of that person shall be notified.
b. The home pastor, if a rostered member of the LC-MS clergy, may officiate, alone or together with St. John Lutheran Church’s Pastor. This will be decided by the Pastors involved, in consultation with the St. John Lutheran Church’s pastor(s) and the Board of Elders.
c. All St. John Lutheran Church’s policies must be followed.
d. The regular St. John Lutheran Church organist will play (unless he/she declines to do so. Then only an organist approved by St. John Lutheran Church’s Pastor and organist may play).
e. The suggested fees will be assessed.
7. In all cases where the Pastor(s) of St. John Lutheran Church will officiate at a wedding, pre-marital counseling and preparation shall be required, and the couple shall participate in such preparation. A large part of pre-marital preparation is regular attendance at Divine Service and Bible Class by both the bride and groom-to-be. The bride and groom-to-be shall attend both Divine Service and Bible Class.
8. If the wedding service bulletin is printed by an outside printer (not at St. John Lutheran Church), the Order of Service will be listed first in the document, wedding participants and greetings from the bride and groom will be last.
As a privilege of membership at St. John Lutheran Church, no fees are to be assessed for members in good standing, except that a stipend is requested for the musician. Suggested fees for non-members:
Use of the church - $225
Custodian - $50
Order of Service/Bulletin - $15
Organist/Musician - $150
Pastor - $200
Approved unanimously by Pastor and the Board of Elders:
The Twentieth Sunday after Trinity, 2020 A.D.
Revised, The Second Sunday after the Epiphany, 2025 A.D.