Weddings

Getting married at Buxton Methodist Church

Usually a couple wishing to get married should approach the Methodist Minister of the church at which they wish to be married.

As part of the legal process, prospective marriage partners will need to go to the local registry office and will be given a copy of a book called ‘Married Life’, which is a helpful resource for people thinking about the implications of getting married. The Methodist Church produced a Christian Preparation for Marriage report in 1998. There is also an ecumenical website about marriage preparation.

 

Our minister, Rev Andrew Parker, will be happy to discuss your wedding service thoughts with you.

His contact details are 01298 23556 and minister@buxtonmethodistchurch.org.uk

FAQs

One of us is divorced. Is that OK?

The rules and laws relating to divorce are not made by the Church but by the State. Methodist Church House is not in a position to offer advice on couples’ pastoral situations. The best advice is to speak to the local minister or the superintendent minister of the circuit where you live. The Methodist Church is generally willing to marry people who have been divorced, while their previous spouse is still alive, as long as there are not major obvious reasons why it would be inappropriate to do so.

Does one of us have to be a Methodist?

People wanting to marry in church don’t have to be members of the church, but most ministers will ask them why they wish to marry in church. A church marriage is a solemn Christian ceremony, with prayers and Bible readings reflecting Christian understandings of what marriage is about. Whilst people wishing to marry in a Methodist church do not need to be church members, most ministers will look for a genuine desire on the part of a couple to take their marriage seriously along the lines set out in the service. Discussing what this means in practice will be part of the marriage preparation.

What if we are from two different denominations?

Many couples marrying in Methodist churches include people from different Christian denominations. Where two people from different church traditions marry, it is quite common for ministers from both churches to take part in the ceremony. This is welcomed. Sometimes, people from different faiths marry — and there is advice available for such marriages.

Do you allow same-sex marriages?

Yes. In 2021, the Methodist Conference consented in principle to the marriage of same-sex couples on Methodist premises. Individual church councils were then to decide whether to register their church premises for same-sex weddings. During February 2022, our church council consulted our wider church family on their thoughts prior to making a decision at their meeting March 2022. The outcome of the vote was that same-sex marriages may take place at Buxton Methodist Church, once the church is registered, which it now is. The first same-sex wedding ceremony here, also the first in the High Peak, took place in May 2023.