This training retreat begins Friday evening and finishes Sunday evening. It is similar to the Advanced Retreat for Pastoral Couples, with a few modifications noted in the program below. The participants are marriage ministry leaders or people with the calling and desire to develop marriage ministry. The ideal is that each team leader or potential leader couple will bring three more couples to this retreat who are part of their ministry team or who wish to become a part. These people should be chosen because of their high potential for leading a mentoring group of couples in the future. Should a leadership couple not bring other couples with them to the retreat, they can join a mentoring group with leader couples from other churches. One of the greatest benefits of this retreat is the chance to meet other leaders who have the same ministry calling.
Anyone who already works with Marriage Ministries International or Marriage Encounter weekends can profit from this retreat to sharpen tools for his/her ministry. Our ministry model complements these other ministries.
Following this retreat, should there be someone willing to organize and lead follow-up get-togethers, they can be scheduled for a Saturday once a month or every two months or whenever works for the retreat participants. These follow-up encounters can continue the mentoring that was begun in the small groups on the retreat, help address problems that come up in pursuing this ministry model, and give ministry teams mutual support. If someone takes on this role, contact us so we can network various people in this role.
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Friday
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Saturday
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Sunday
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8:00a
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Breakfast |
Breakfast |
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9:00
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Worship and Devotions |
Worship and Devotions |
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9:30
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God’s Purposes for Marriage, continued |
Sharpening our Listening Skills |
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11:00
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Break |
Break |
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11:20
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Expectations, Emotional Health Evaluation |
Marriage Project |
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1:00p
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Lunch: Mentor couple’s story |
Lunch: Third couple’s story |
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4:30
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Arrival |
Remembering our days of courtship |
Suggestions for implementing the mentoring model in marriage ministry |
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6:30
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Dinner |
Dinner: Second couple’s story |
Dinner: Fourth couple’s story |
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8:00
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Worship; Getting Acquainted; God’s Purposes for Marriage |
Love that Works |
Follow-up
Hearing God
Testimonies and Lord’s Supper |
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10:00
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Free |
Free |
Departure |
Return to the initial page on healthy marriages and families or go on to suggestions for developing a marriage ministry.
