Are you seeing the following in your congregation?

• Teenagers and Singles with broken hearts and shattered morals because of disastrous dating relationships
• Young Christian adults abandoning their faith for the sake of immoral romantic pursuits, breaking their parent's hearts in the process
• Shattered hearts and lives in the wake of broken engagements
• Single men with a strong fear of commitment in relationships
• Faltering marriages built on weak foundations
• Couples divorcing because of communication problems, or selfish and unrealistic expectations
• Young Christian men who have received little or no training on the principles of godly courtship and romance.
• Parents that are feeling lost on how to train their teens to avoid emotional brokenness and find godly success in their love lives
• Young marrieds with terrible in-law relationships
• An increasing rate of marital problems and divorce

The reason that Christians are "getting what the world is getting" is because they are "doing what the world is doing." The body of Christ desperately needs an awakening. We need to find God's way of pursuing romance in a manner that eliminates the brokenness, honors Christ on the way to the altar, and produces strong, quality marriages. Without realizing it, most Christians have disqualified themselves from God's favor and blessing long before they reach their wedding day. "Courtship and the Cross" is a live three-hour seminar that addresses these issues head-on with a powerful message that reveals the reality of "true courtship" based on Jesus pursuit of His bride, the church. Here is a sample of the kind of impact this message is having on young people and single adults.

"Dear Anthony: I wanted to give thanks to you, Kimberly, and everybody else for the wonderful weekend that we spent together on the retreat. I shared much of what I have learned with my parents (who are Christians and through whom Christ lets me grow as well) and I went over the complete set of your courtship bible study. It has inspired me and motivated me to bring my life in better order through Christ's help. Many points seemed too extreme when you preached on them last week, but when I followed up and read through all the bible citations I found out that the bible IS ACTUALLY at many points extreme and God is a jealous God. Everything He wants for us is for the good of us. "

Many greetings, Matt

Courtship should be presented in a seminar format as it is best to allow 5 hours for the material to be covered properly. The teaching is accompanied by a PowerPoint slide presentation via an RGB or overhead projector. Our preferred schedule is on a Saturday from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm (see below) or it can be done over a Friday evening and Saturday morning. (We can also do two or three weeks in a row of your Sunday evening or mid-week service.) The schedule includes a time of worship, approximately 4 hours of teaching, 2- 15 minute breaks, a lunch break, and a time for question and answers and some time for ministry to those who have been wounded and broken through failed relationships. The schedule can be adjusted to fit the needs of your body, but the following format works very well.

• Welcome and Worship* 8:00-8:45
• Introduction and 1^st Session 8:45-10:15
• Break 10:15-10:30
• 2^nd Session 10:30-11:45
• Lunch break 11:45-1:00
• Worship and 3^rd Session 1:00-2:15
• Break 2:15-2:30
• 4^th Session 2:30-3:30
• Q & A and Ministry Time 3:30 - 4:00

* For the sake of familiarity, it is best if the worship is provided by your own worship team, but we can also lead live worship or work from CDs.

The Courtship seminar is ideal for all marriagable adult believers as well as young people ages 15-20 and their parents.

Parents of teens-to-be can also benefit greatly as the seminar will offer them principles and rescources for training their teens for Godliness and success in romance.  It is important to equip the younger generation to walk into this critical time of their life fully prepared for the challenges that face them. The battle of moral compromise rages hot against the lives of young people long before they reach a marriageable age. Children under the age of 14 should not attend this seminar.  We believe in the vital importance of the parental role in Courtship. As the parents get the vision for courtship, they in turn can instruct their teenagers and team with them to find God’s provision for a life partner. For this reason, we strongly encourage parents to attend with their teenagers whenever possible.

Single and college-career age people will also benefit greatly from the Courtship seminar.  Many of them are in the "season of marriage" and need practical and relevant instruction to help them navigate through this season and/or prevent them from experiencing further heartache.  The lives of many singles have been powefully affected as their love lives have been transformed through the principles of Courtship. 

Fees and Materials

Courtship seminars are given on a love offering basis as it is our desire that everyone has the opportunity to hear this critical and timely message. At the beginning of the seminar, a workbook/note-taking guide will be offered for a small fee of $5.00 each. The Courtship workbooks are comb-bound, full-color, 23 page seminar guides with lined spaces for taking notes. The workbooks will also serve as an excellent summary of the main points of the seminar and can be used to review the information and share it with friends, family, etc.. Use of the workbook will significantly increase the effectiveness of the teaching and attendees should be made aware of the availability of this resource before the seminar begins.

• Courtship! A 20 Minute Introduction (cassette or CD) - $2.00 each
• Complete Courtship seminar in 3-tape series (cassettes) - $12.50 each
• Complete Courtship seminar in 3-CD audio series  - $15.00 each
• Courtship Workbook and Note-taking Guide - $5.00 each
• Courtship T-Shirts - $10.00 each
• Pamela's Prayer - The dramatic story of one girl's journey that will get audiences thinking about why God's way is the best. (VHS or DVD) - $15.00 each
• The Princess and the Kiss by Jeanie Bishop - An excellent children's book - follow the young princess as she learns of God's precious gift of purity - $15.00 each
• Journey to Agape - "A Handbook for Christian Courtship and Beyond" by Anthony Padgett (paperback - 160 pages) - $8.99 each