The Marriage and Family course highlights the concerns of modern Christian families. You will learn how to counsel people who don't understand God's design for marriage and sexual satisfaction, who experience difficulty in instructing or correcting their children toward godliness, who are parenting alone, who need help in developing a reasonable budget, and who have experienced divorce and remarriage.

Marriage and Family Course Topics

• God's Design For Marriage
• Marriage Rolls
• Premarital Counseling
• Communication and Conflict Resolution
• Sexual Intimacy
• Unequally Yoked
• Divorce and Remarriage
• Divorce Recovery
• Single Parenting
• Step Families
• Single Adults
• Biblical Goals
• Parental Instruction
• Parental Correction
• Parenting Adolescents
• Personal Finances

For those working toward the Certificate in Biblical Counseling, the following requirements must be completed during the Marriage & Family course:

1. Read completely: The Excellent Wife (Peace) or The Exemplary Husband (Scott); Then choose two additional books to read: Shepherding a Child's Heart (Tripp);Instructing a Child's Heart (Tripp); Peacemaking for Families (Sande/Raabe); Marriage, Divorce & Remarriage in the Bible (Adams). Write a review for each book (no longer than seven pages) highlighting what you think are the strengths and weaknesses of each book. Include the author's reason for writing on the topic and the biblical perspective the reader is to gain from the book. In your summary include whether you support or disagree with the author using Scriptural references.


2. Complete the following assignments from Preparing for Marriage God's Way (Mack): (a) pp 21-24 of "True Love," (b) pp. 41-48 (topic: Spiritual disciplines in marriage), (c) pp. 66,67 of "How to Become an Effective Communicator," (d) pp. 71-73 (topic: Listening), (e) pp. 79,80 (topic: Conflict resolution/prevention), (f) assignment #1 on p. 92 (topic: Role of husband or wife), (g) pp. 105-107 (topic: Finances), (h) pp. 115,116 (topic: Biblical view of sex - this is optional to turn in due to personal nature). After completing the assignments write a 2-4 page review for each study explaining how these assignments will help the couple to be prepared for marriage. These assignments must be completed prior to completing the final exam.


3. Complete the final examination consisting of case studies based on the lectures and reading material.  It is preferred that your work be in a word document or as a PDF. An administration fee of $50 can be paid by check or credit card for reviewing your course work. All work must be sent to Sherry Allchin.