Thank youfor your email about background music for the Marriage course or ThePre-Marriage Course.  We do not have arecommended list, we leave it to the course leaders to decide what they thinkwould be relevant and relaxing to suit the needs of their audience. This couldbe easy listening, classical, instrumental, etc. The main thing is that it notbe too soft to enable couples to hear other couples’ conversations, or too loudto force them to shout! More information is available here​.

To find out if The Marriage Course and The Pre-Marriage Course have been translated into your language please visit the Course Builder or contact your local Alpha office (The Marriage Course is a part of Alpha International).

On Course Builder you will find a document with links to every episode. We recommend emailing the episode link with the password to the couple.

Running sections of the course means guests don’t get the full experience or the full benefit. The course is written in a way that the different sections build upon each other and don’t work as effectively when done independently. We would recommend you run the courses in full rather than just use sections.

You can access all of our latest training videos on Course Builder. To access these videos you must first create your account. Find your relevant course through the top menu, choose a course and click Find out about running.

All the episodes are free to download. It is at the discretion of the church whether they provide the Guest Journals, meals and other related costs free of charge or pass these costs onto the guests by charging them for the course.

To get started...

1. Go to the top menu, click on either The Marriage Course or The Pre-Marriage Course

2. In the drop down box click Find out about running, then click on Run a course

3. Choose your Region and your Country

4. You are now on your country's page where you will now need to click Register your course

5. Register your details on the Course Builder

6. Once you've registered your course you'll find all you need to run your course

·     The course episodes

·     The Leaders' Guide

·     The Couple Survey (optional for those running The Pre-Marriage Course only)

·     Support Couples’ training videos (if using the Couple Survey for those running The Pre-Marriage Course only)

·     Plus we recommend you watch the training videos on the Course Builder

Please remember that for both The Marriage Course and The Pre-Marriage Course each guest will require one copy of the relevant Guest Journal which can be purchased.

Both The Marriage Course and The Pre-Marriage Course have a similar structure, with the feel of a date night and an emphasis on private discussions for each couple. The key difference is that The Pre-Marriage Course is for engaged couples and those considering marriage, whereas we recommend The Marriage Course for couples who have been married for at least two years. The Pre-Marriage Course can also include a Couple Survey which each guest completes in advance of the course. Following the course they look at the results of their Couple Survey over a meal with a designated married "Support Couple".

Head to Resources in the top menu.  

If you’re having trouble finding resources in your area, please get in touch with your local Alpha office who will be happy to help you.

The website requires a start and finish date in order for a course to be registered on Course Builder. Please note that following registration on Course Builder your course dates will show on our Find a Course page on themarriagecourse.org. It will remain there until approximately two weeks after your course starts.

The Marriage Course and The Pre-Marriage Course each have their own version of the Guest Journal. Each guest on a course requires their own Guest Journal (that’s two per couple) and can be found through the country links on the Resources page (see top menu).

The Guest Journal is a small handbook that corresponds with the topics of each session, guiding couples’ conversations, prompting discussions, and allowing plenty of space for guests to make their own notes. The Guest Journal is created as an additional tool used to help the guest couples reflect on their relationship and the meaning of marriage, as well as to facilitate conversations between them. The Guest Journal is for each guest to keep once the course has finished.

Course Builder is the section of our website where you, as a host, can register your course and access training and promotional resources. You can get to Course Builder by going to top menu, choosing a course and clicking on Find out about running.

There is no way obtain theses resources without first registering your course on Course Builder. Once the course is registered you will have access to promotional materials, training resources and the option to download the latest series. We will be uploading new training resources and course materials to Course Builder over time so we encourage you to please keep revisiting the platform.

‍

Yes, it is very easy! All of the talks are available online, along with a Leaders’ Guide which has instructions for when to pause for exercises and private conversations for each couple. Promotional materials and other resources are also available once you register your course on Course Builder. You can get to Course Builder by going to top menu, choosing a course and clicking on Find out about running.

We believe that anyone who has a desire to see marriages strengthened, has experience of working at their own marriage and enjoys hosting couples can run a course. You don't have to have the perfect marriage (no one does!) or be an expert to run it. People who are single can also run the course. We have a number of short training videos that will take you through how to run The Marriage Course. Register your course on Course Builder to access the training videos. You can get to Course Builder by going to top menu, choosing a course and clicking on Find out about running.

The Marriage Course and The Pre-Marriage Course act as a bridge between the church and the local community by recognising the need to go beyond the social, as well as physical, walls of the church to help couples with their relationships. In a world of increasing complexity, people more than ever need a tool to help with their relationships. The Marriage Course is designed to refresh, strengthen and, in some cases, transform relationships. The course equips couples with tools and techniques to keep the spark alive and stay connected. For couples who are engaged or wanting to explore marriage, The Pre-Marriage Course provides practical guidance on how to build strong, deep foundations that will last a lifetime. As marriages become healthier and stronger, so too does family life and this has the potential to transform entire communities. We’ve created a video explaining in more depth why you should consider running The Marriage Course. Check it out Here