AboutBrad Varvil Expertise I am happy to field questions regarding Lutheran theology and practice, and it's context
within the western catholic tradition. General questions on the Christian faith are also
welcome.
Experience I have served in lay ministry for over ten years, and am currently a pastor in a small, confessional Lutheran communion in the Evangelical Catholic tradition. I have worked with several Lutheran and non-Lutheran communions over the years, and have a particular fondness for catholic ecumenism.
Education/Credentials I have a BA in Religion and Philosophy from a small midwestern Lutheran college, and am completing an M.Div. at a small, independent, Lutheran seminary in the Pacific Northwest.
Question I was raised a catholic was married by a justice of peace. I am divorced and currently dating a lutheran member who is also divorced but was married in a lutheran church. Would it be possible for us to marry in a lutheran church? Would I have to be a lutheran?
Answer Dear Nancy,
A couple thoughts I would share, and then a recommendation. First, Lutherans don't have the same canon law that Roman Christians do-- while we have a very high regard for Scripture and valid Tradition, we don't have a big legal code that you have to navigate with the help of the local canon lawyer. We tend to approach these kinds of things pastorally, and trust our pastors to guide the people given to their care with love, truth, and compassion.
Second, there is no requirement to be a Christian of the Lutheran confessions in order to be married by a Lutheran pastor, or in a Lutheran parish. However, many Lutheran pastors will hope to speak with you about the sacred nature of marriage before consenting to participate in such a holy rite. This is why we usually conduct some kind of pastoral pre-marriage counselling with both the bride and groom (and sometimes the respective families, if appropriate) to ensure we're all on the same page about what marriage is, and should be.
My recommendation is that you chat with the Lutheran pastor. I hope you find such a person to be much more concerned about helping you today, in the current circumstances of your lives together, than on dredging up a painful past. While any Christian may weep for the sadness of divorce, the pastoral reality of people in their current context must always take precedence-- and Lutherans have traditionally tended that way in such matters, since divine grace is the God-given balm that soothes the wounds of sin and the law.
Grace and peace to you-- and a blessed marriage to you both!
Rev. Brad
