At a special event held on July 28, 2026 at the Center for Planning and Integrated Development of the Burundi Free Methodist Church (CPDI) in Ngagara, Bishop Déogratias NSHIMIYIMANA, the legal representative of the Burundi Free Methodist Church, declared:
“Preparing for the covenant of Christian marriage is far more important than preparing for a wedding party. Wedding celebrations often demand a lot of time, energy, and money because people want to impress their guests. As a result, some couples go into debt with banks or friends just to get married.
In a Christian marriage, what matters most is honoring the vows made on the wedding day — the commitment to stay together until death do us part. You can have a beautiful and elaborate wedding, but if those vows are not kept, it all becomes meaningless.”
This Teaching Manual for Couples Preparing for Christian Marriage was authored by Bishop Déogratias NSHIMIYIMANA (Bishop of the Burundi Free Methodist Church) in collaboration with Rev. Evariste BIMENYIMANA (Executive Secretary of the Burundi Free Methodist Church).
The launch training was designed for pastors from the six Annual Conferences and their secretaries. Their role will be to train other pastors across the country using this manual, so that many more couples can be equipped to build Christian marriages on a strong foundation.
About the Manual:
The manual contains 10 lessons across 73 pages. It is designed to be taught over a minimum of five days to couples preparing for marriage.
Key topics include: God’s purpose in creating humanity, the purpose of Christian marriage, the spiritual life and growth of couples, effective communication for family development, wise stewardship of family finances, biblical teachings on sexuality and sexual purity before marriage, conflict resolution in marriage, raising God-fearing children in a secular world, and planning the wedding ceremony.
