Texas Pastor Challenges Cohabiting Couples to Marry; Dozens Show Up for Joint Ceremony

Tré Goins-Phillips : Mar 13, 2026
Faithwire

"Put a ring on it and enter into a covenant with a person that you're already acting like you're in a covenant with." -Pastor Josh Howerton

[Faithwire.com] Megachurch Pastor Josh Howerton did something a little unorthodox to achieve an orthodox outcome. (Image: via Faithwire /Screengrab)

Howerton, who leads Lakepointe Church in Dallas, preached a sermon last month, "3 Things That Will Kill Your Marriage," and, at the end of the message, he invited cohabiting, unmarried couples to get married.

"If you're living with somebody that's not your spouse, you're sleeping with somebody that's not your spouse, or you've actually already started a family and had kids with somebody that's not your spouse, and you right now are coming under the loving conviction of the Holy Spirit that you need to honor God, bend your knee to Jesus," he said from the pulpit in late February.

Howerton added, "Put a ring on it and enter into a covenant with a person that you're already acting like you're in a covenant with."

The pastor revealed this past week that, after the sermon, which he said he spent a great deal of time preparing, 52 couples came forward and all were married Friday in a joint ceremony and celebration.

"These 52 couples heard the marriage sermon two weeks ago [and] came under conviction," he wrote on social media. "They wanted to honor God and get married, met with pastors for council, and tonight they got married."... Subscribe for free to Breaking Christian News here

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