Category Archives: Central Ministries

One Thing Your Marriage Can’t Live Without

marriage

When someone walks down the aisle, the last thing that is on their mind is, “I am going to divorce this person someday.” But it happens at what seems an alarming rate. I have heard for years that the divorce rate is 50% inside and outside the church. I have read other researchers present a lower number for divorce, 26%. And just the other day I read that divorce in the church is possibly as low as 10-15%. Statistics, statistics, statistics. Can you really believe them?

I have performed 81 weddings. Out of these 81 weddings, one couple has gotten a divorce. That is a 1.23% divorce rate. Now, let me state that many of these marriages have almost ended. Several of these couples separated for a time. A few of them told me that they were thinking about getting a divorce. But 80 of the couples have remained together to this day.

These 81 weddings span almost 14 years. I have officiated weddings for couples…

…just out of high school.

…in their seventies.

…who have both been divorced.

 …who have blended as many as seven children into their new marriage.

 …who met online.

And somehow only 1.23% of the marriages have ended in divorce. I am surprised by this low percentage. I am humbled by this statistic. I ask myself, “Is it just an anomaly? Do I need to give it another decade and then see if these people have still made it?” Probably. But over half of these marriages have already lasted beyond the 7 year mark, which is when most people call it quits if they are going to divorce their spouse.

Before you jump to the conclusion that if you have Pastor Jeremy officiate your marriage you will be divorce proof, just realize that this statistic is not about me. As I officiate these weddings, I am also an observer. I see what will make a marriage last. As I get to know the couple through pre-marital counseling, I try help the future husband and wife answer this important question.

Do we have the same VALUES? This is by far the most important question because it will make or break a marriage. The one couple that did get a divorce didn’t have the same value system. They wanted different things in life. And they were both Christian! Many people think that being a Christian gives people the same values, but it doesn’t. You find out what a person’s values are when you figure out the answers to the following questions. Remember, values determine actions.

The Value of Family. How many children do you want? Do you want any children? Are you going to be a stay-at-home mom or will you have a full-time babysitter? Is the dad going to stay at home with the kids while the mom goes to work? How are we going to spend our holidays? Which “In-Laws” will get more attention over the holidays? Am I going to work long hours and put extra effort into my job, or will I sacrifice that latter of success so that I can come home before supper starts every night?

The Value of Church. How involved do you want to be in the church? How important is it for my children to go to church? Do you want to hang out with friends from church? Do I believe what the church teaches? Am I going to be a once a week church goer or be there every single day? Or am I going to just attend on Christmas and Easter?

The Value of Hobbies. How do you like to spend your time? Do you like to do the same things that your future spouse does? Or do you lead separate lives because you don’t have much in common? Never underestimate how important it is to spend quality time together doing something both of you enjoy. I once officiated a wedding for a couple who loved playing computer games together. It wouldn’t be my choice in how I spend time with my wife, but they could spend countless hours well into the night staring at a computer screen. By the way, they met online when they were playing a game!

The Value of Finances. Do I like to spend or save? Do I need to make lots of money or just enough money to get by? Am I tempted to buy things just so that other people will notice me? Am I generous to my church, to various missionaries, or am I skeptical of giving away my money?

The Value of Marriage. Do I truly believe that my marriage will last for my entire life? Do I only have eyes for my spouse? Do I hate divorce just like God says that He hates divorce? Do I look at my spouse as a companion? Do I look forward to being romantic even when we have kids? Do I strive to have a healthy sex life?

For a Christian, all of your values should be driven by what God’s Word teaches. God teaches us about the family, the church, finances, marriage, and even how we should spend our time.

How do you figure all this stuff out before you get married? Is it possible? Every couple who is married by a pastor at Central Church is required to take a 150 question assessment about their value system and they will then be involved in pre-marital counseling. So much time and energy is invested in the actual wedding day. Often thousands of dollars are spent for this wonderful day where two people become one. But just remember how important it is to discover a person’s values before you decide to tie the knot.

For those of you who are not yet married, please understand how important values are in your future marriage. Be determined to keep your own God-given values. You will never regret it!

Project Reach

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God is blessing Central Ministries in an amazing way!  In the last four years, the church has grown in weekend attendance of approximately 500 people to close to 1,000.  Central Christian School (which meets on Central’s campus) is also at its all-time high enrollment with over 150 students (K thru 8th) attending the school in the fall.  This growth has led to a few “good problems” like the need for space.  So, after researching, praying and designing for the last two years, the leadership has a strategy for a master plan for the next several years.  It is divided up into three different phases.

Phase 1: Construction of Gathering Place and the Student Wing.  This building will have two stories.  The first floor will have a gathering place with a welcome center, bistro, fireside room and restrooms.  The gathering place will be about 4,000 square feet.  Continuing on the first floor, there will be a new wing for children from birth up to Kindergarten.  We will have restrooms in every classroom and the younger children will be able to worship in their own pre-K auditorium.

On the second floor, 1st grade through 6th grade rooms will be constructed and the elementary kids will be able to gather in their own Kid’s Central Auditorium for worship.  The children’s ministry wing (1st and 2nd floor) will be about 20,000 square feet.  During phase 1, both the first and second stories will be finished.  In general, the 7th-12th graders will not be utilizing this new building, but will continue to meet in the Chapel area.  Therefore, we will need to renovate the Chapel area and update certain equipment (some of which is 40 years old).  Even though phase 1 is designed specifically for children’s ministry, Central Ministries greatly desires that this space be used throughout the week for various ministries like Central Christian School, The RiverDance Company, and other valuable organizations.

How much will phase one cost?  Approximately 2.9 million dollars.  This includes site work, construction of the building, architect fees, engineering fees, furnishings, and also renovation costs for the Chapel area.

1st

2nd

 Phase 2: Worship Center.  If you attend Central Church, you know that we meet in a gym.  Every single week, faithful people in our church setup and tear down over 450 chairs in our gym.  We call this gym a family life center because it functions as more than just a gym.  During the week, it is a dance studio for dancers, a basketball court for Upward practices and a place to play a great game of dodge ball during gym class.  On the weekends, it is a worship center.  And on these weekends, we are getting close to outgrowing our gym at our two services, which meet at 9:30 and 11.  We started a Friday night service with the hope that it would draw some people out of our two Sunday services.  It has done that.  But we have continued to grow to such an extent that we need a larger area to meet in for our worship services.

During phase 2, the new worship center will be constructed and finished.  The new worship center will be able to seat anywhere from 800-1,200 people.  You might ask, “Why the wide range in seating capacity?”  It is because phase 2 is still several years away and we are not sure where we will be at in our weekend attendance.

Phase 3: Addition to the Student Wing.  This additional building will have two stories and the total square footage designed will be approximately 12,000.  The primary use of this wing will be for the 7th-12th graders (Junior and Senior High Youth Ministries).  We might also be at a point where we can host additional ministries with this added space.  One of the philosophies of Central Ministries is to use as much of the church space for kingdom purposes as possible.  Currently, most of our building is used seven days a week.  We are thankful for that.  We always want to be the kind of church that practices good stewardship with our facilities.

 over

The leadership at Central Church realizes that our culture is changing.  Our nation seems to be subtly changing the rules when it comes to religious institutions and therefore we are making all of these plans with the knowledge that we might need to change some of the designs in the future.  But there is one thing that you can count on: Central Campus will always be a place where you will find ministry taking place in various forms.

Why are we doing this?  You have seen some of the practical reasons.  But here is the spiritual reason: “God’s greatness will reach to the ends of the earth” (Micah 5:4).  This is our “project verse.”  It is the verse which will guide us into this building project.  This building project is not about any one person’s greatness.  Leaders come and leaders go.  But God, as our leader, will always be guiding Central Church.  And while we are here on this earth, it should be our ultimate goal to show the greatness of God to the entire earth.  We should greatly desire to reach the world with God’s tremendous love for everyone.  We believe that by building, we can make an even greater influence in the Fort Wayne area.

 3rd

 Central Church has been around for 40 years.  Throughout the planning stages of this project, I have asked the people of this church, “What will Central Ministries look like in another 40 years?”  You might be in heaven.  Or maybe you will still be a part of this church.  The leadership, with humble hearts, plans to build a facility that will still be used 40 years from now.  It is Central Church’s desire that we make a godly footprint for generations to come so that those who come after us will be REACHED!   

Press here if you would like more information regarding Project Reach.