Marriage after divorce

Can I be re-married in church after a divorce?

The Bible teaches us that marriage is a solemn life-long commitment made between a man and woman. The Church upholds this teaching and at St Neots Parish Church we affirm this as the ideal to which all couples thinking about marriage should aspire.

However, we acknowledge that we do not live in an ideal world and that people are not perfect. We know that marriages can and do fail, and that this may be for a variety of reasons.

We want to give our fullest support and help to all couples planning to marry. We want to be sympathetic in cases where the previous marriage of one or both of the people concerned has been dissolved. We do not believe that this contradicts the Church’s teaching on marriage because we believe that serious reflection on past circumstances and the acknowledgement of mistakes can result in a stronger commitment to the new marriage, and a firm resolve to make it work.

If you are in this position and would like to explore the possibility of a second marriage in church, please contact us at office@stneots.org in the first instance to arrange a meeting at which the circumstances and issues can be explored and discussed sensitively. The Church of England has issued guidelines for remarriage, and these may form the basis of a discussion. If after reflection, a marriage ceremony in church does not seem to be the best way forward, we may be able to offer you a service of thanksgiving and blessing following a civil marriage.

Please note that a wedding in church is unlikely to be agreed to where one or both of the parties has been married and divorced more than once before.

Please follow this link to find the Church's guidlelines:

http://www.churchofengland.org/media/1162432/leafletforenquirers.pdf