African American Clergy Involvement in Marriage Preparation

Abstract

Marital stability has been linked to multiple social and economic advantages, particularly for African Americans. Clergy provide the majority of marriage preparation in the United States, but historically African American denominations have not been sampled systematically. To address this issue, we conducted an exploratory survey investigating African American clergy members' behaviors, attitudes, and perceptions about providing marriage preparation. Data were collected from 141 members of the seven primarily African American denominations and compared with 793 clergy from the 15 largest, predominantly White, congregations. African American clergy were significantly more likely than clergy in the comparison group to say they addressed premarital content effectively, say they utilized a skills-based approach to teaching communication, require a longer waiting period, more sessions, more homework assignments, and consider marriage preparation a valuable part of their ministry and to believe that couples had benefited from marriage preparation.

Premarital Counseling Practices among Christian and Muslim Lay Counselors in Ghana

“…The content of premarital counseling took into account the local norms around marriage in Ghana, but was not customized for the needs of specific couples. Similar to past studies, important topic areas such as expectations, parenthood, sex, financial management, communication, and conflicts were covered (Tambling & Glebova, 2013; Wilmoth & Blaney, 2016). Topics relating to knowing partner’s family and gendered prescriptions about marital roles and duties are nuanced and reflect cultural norms around marriage in Ghana (Assimeng, 1999).…”

Premarital Education in the Catholic Church: Exploring Retrospective Perceptions of Effectiveness of a Theologically Oriented Program on Relational and Spiritual Outcomes

“…Given the negative effects of divorce on individuals’ emotional, physical, and fiscal well-being as well as children’s development (Hughes & Waite, 2009; Frisco et al, 2007; Shafer et al, 2017) and the continued high divorce rates of 40 to 50% (US Census Bureau, 2018), marriage preparation programs have received significant attention over the last few decades as a preventative measure against divorce and marital conflict, showing some effectiveness (Halford et al, 2003; Stanley et al, 2006). However, even though the majority of premarital education in the United States is currently done by clergy and in the context of religious organizations (Glenn, 2005; Schumm et al, 2010; Wilmoth & Blaney, 2016), the effectiveness of these types of programs has rarely been assessed. Some support has been found for greater effectiveness of marriage preparation programs delivered by clergy in a religious setting rather than non-clergy in university or clinical settings (Laurenceau et al, 2004).…”