What's Next Step?
Next Step is an exciting initiative of the Theology of the Body Institute. It is an 8-part formation program for people who are discerning marriage. Based heavily on Pope St. John Paul II’s ideas for proximate preparation for marriage, Next Step walks seriously dating couples through topics that John Paul II highlights as important for people who think they want to get married but aren’t yet engaged. Through 8 hours of dynamic & enthusiastic presentations, accompanied with a detailed workbook, couples will get to deep dive into their own hearts and the heart of Christ as they take the next step in their discernment journey.
This version is designed specifically for parishes! This format is in-person with mentor couples & small group discussion to deepen the experience. Looking for the individual version? Find that here!
What's with the name Next Step?
Its name implies a casual atmosphere, as we do not want the couples who take this course to feel pressured to propose at the end of it. Engaging in a program of education and deeper discernment of marriage is simply the next step in a dating relationship, and this program aims to make this intentional discernment an ordinary element of the culture of dating.
WHY DOES MY PARISH NEED THIS?
Formal marriage preparation programs in the Church today attempt to condense a lifetime’s worth of education on the discernment of the vocation of marriage and catechesis on the sacrament itself into a couple’s engagement period. Because engagement is often less than one year, the average couple is focused more on wedding planning than marriage preparation. Even the most passionate and faithful couples must attempt to squeeze the diocesan requirements onto their bulging checklists (usually somewhere in between items like cake tasting and wedding dress fitting), thereby not giving marriage preparation the time, energy, and attention it deserves.
The ideas of St. John Paul II in Familiaris Consortio (FC) art. 66 equip us to combat these cultural norms. He separates marriage preparation into three stages, and the two that are pertinent to this discussion are proximate and immediate preparation. Immediate prep refers to formal engagement, and options for programs that couples can utilize during this stage are plentiful. Proximate prep is where the young person learns critical elements of marriage that both guide the discernment process and equip him or her with necessary knowledge and skills to enter into a healthy and holy marriage one day. When a couple chooses to engage in adequate proximate preparation, it gives them plenty of time to digest and learn the information, process it at their own pace, and then decide when or if they should move to engagement.
Much of what John Paul lists as proximate preparation content has been shifted into the immediate preparation stage due to the western cultural norms of dating and engagement. We have developed a program based on St. John Paul II’s proximate preparation content that is geared toward people who are not yet engaged. The goal of the program is to help guide a person’s broad discernment of the vocation to marriage and their specific discernment of the person that they are dating. Ideally, a couple would enroll in a program like this when they enter a stage of dating that I call “pre-engagement.” This stage occurs when seriously dating couples are strongly considering marrying each other and want to dive deeper into formal discernment of the vocation of marriage with each other before engagement.
What's Covered?
The sessions are divided into eight topics following the Familiaris Consortio framework.
-
A Rediscovery of Marriage
-
Intentional Dating
-
Habits of Healthy Communication
-
Stable Work and Finances
-
Family Culture
-
Sexuality and NFP
-
Parenting
-
Friendship and Community
How Does Next Step Work?
-
Running the Program
Next Step is an 8-session program that takes place over 8 consecutive weeks. Each week includes one two-hour meeting. The couples will be divided into small groups led by the mentor couples, and the mentors will accompany their couples through the content via guided discussions. A detailed instruction guide for executing the program is provided.
-
Recruiting Mentor Couples
Each parish that signs up for the parish license will receive supporting information to help market the program and the mentor couple recruitment.
-
Training Mentor Couples
Each parish that signs up for the parish license will receive access to video training for mentor couples. This works to ensure that the mentors understand and can explain the facets of the Catholic faith that will be taught to the students of Next Step and that they have the skills to lead a small group discussion. Further, it is an opportunity for the mentor couples to go deeper in their prayer lives both individually and as a couple; without prayer and a closeness to the heart of Jesus, all of this is for naught.
-
Workbooks
The program includes participant and mentor workbooks (purchased separately). These accompany the eight different talks and include areas for note taking, homework, and extra resources. The mentor workbook also includes resources that accompany training and questions to help them guide their small group discussions. Each workbook is 100+ pages to easily and thoroughly guide you through the program.
-
What does the Parish Fee Include?
Your annual membership includes access to an online portal with all the supporting documentation and videos needed for the program. Each participant and mentor going through this will require a study guide. It’s expected that participants pay a registration fee to the parish to offset these costs. More information about this process in included in the parish license membership website.
-
Intended Audience
This course is intended for couples who are seriously dating but not yet engaged to be married. If you have single people or couples already engaged, they are certainly welcome to take this course too! There will be times in the course where the language used will need to be adapted to their individual circumstances.
Get Started Today!
$350*
*Annual subscription to access videos. Individual study guides for all mentors and participants are required (purchased separately).
FAQ
-
Does this include workbooks?
Study guides are required for the Next Step program, and are purchased separately. Each individual & mentor is required to have a study guide.
-
I live outside the USA. Can our parish host a Next Step?
At this time, shipping of Next Step workbooks is only available in the USA due to excessive shipping costs. If you live outside the USA and wish to host a Next Step, please contact us.
-
Is This for Individuals?
This version of Next Step is intended for parishes to host an in-person program. If your parish does not yet offer an in-person Next Step, you can purchase an asynchronous version HERE!
-
Does Next Step meet my diocese’s marriage prep requirements?
In Pope St. John Paul II‘s vision, he uses the phrases “proximate preparation” and “immediate preparation” to distinguish between seasons of a person’s discernment and the formation appropriate to each. Traditional diocesan marriage prep falls under John Paul II's vision for "immediate preparation." Next Step hones in on his "proximate preparation" topics. Since Next Step focuses on those people who aren’t engaged yet and targets the topics toward that audience, it won’t meet the marriage prep requirements for most dioceses.
-
Why should we host this if it’s not required?
The dating relationships and future marriage of those in your parish are worth all of the time, energy, and effort that you and they can give them. Next Step will give couples in your parish an incredible foundation for entering into an intentional time of formation and discernment together, allowing them to talk through critical elements of what makes a healthy marriage. They were made for greatness, and they don’t need to settle for just fulfilling the bare minimum requirements!
It'll be worth your time!
Endorsement for Next Step
Next Step has helped revolutionize the marriage ministry at our parish. I had a vision for a course for seriously dating couples to begin marriage preparation in an appropriate way for their stage in life. Next Step was a very new concept at the time, so we had to be creative to make it work for our parish. We ran the pilot version of the program in the Fall of 2018 through the Young Adult Ministry, and it was so well-received that we filled all our spots and had a waitlist! Since the Spring of 2019, it has been running three times a year, every year, at our parish. Hundreds of couples have gone through this program, and dozens of married couples have served as mentors. Next Step has helped change the culture of our community of young adults and married couples - so much so that we needed to restructure our ministry, and we now have a full-time Director of Marriage Preparation and Enrichment to run Next Step and all of the marriage ministries that have flourished as a result of this cultural shift at our parish. Next Step is the absolute best thing on the market for proximate preparation for marriage. Its fidelity to St John Paul II's vision in Familiaris Consortio has paved the way for the couples who engage in his ideas for proximate prep to engage in his vision for immediate prep and enter into thriving, life-giving marriages. I cannot recommend Next Step enough and would highly encourage anyone considering the program to go for it.
- Brandon P. Barker, M.T.S.
Director of Evangelization and Discipleship
St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church