A National Survey of Marriage Preparation Provided by Clergy

Clergy provide the vast majority of marriage preparation, but little is known about the nature of premarital education they provide. To provide baseline data, a national survey (N = 793) from the 15 largest mainline Protestant, evangelical Protestant, and Catholic denominations investigated the requirements and content addressed in clergy-provided marriage preparation. A significant number of clergy include recommended components in premarital education, but several practices with demonstrated efficaciousness are generally left out, including follow-up meetings after the wedding, utilization of mentor couples, and dealing with family-of-origin issues. The article discusses implications for clergy providing premarital programs and policy recommendations for denominations, seminaries, and community agencies.