An Intimate Covenant

Welcome to An Intimate Covenant!

Despite our fairy tale dreams, it doesn’t take long to realize that it’s tough to be married. The Enemy is bombarding couples with carnal influences that drive wedges between spouses. Pressures to balance family, work and spiritual obligations erode closeness. Passion fades and barriers are built with every unmet expectation. Many opt for divorce. Other marriages fade into alienation, coldness and empty distance. Married couples have been poorly prepared to address the inevitable and necessary conflicts they must endure.

But, God’s perfect plan for marriage offers hope to those that are willing to seek humility, service and holiness.  The result can be a beautifully intimate marriage according His original intent, fully knowing and being fully known — “naked and unashamed” (Genesis 2.25).

WE PROVIDE:

• Intensive Weekend Seminars – We want to come to your church or small group
• Annual Marriage Retreat – See the Events page to register
• Group Marriage Bible Studies – Take the original AIC 8-12 week class
• Pre-Marital Education – For engaged couples or groups of singles
• Couple Coaching – In-person or on-line private sessions

Testimonials:

“Matt and Jenn provide well-researched material for any couple wanting to improve their marriage. They have a passion for helping couples build the kind of marriage relationship God intended. Their focus on total intimacy—physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual—really helped me understand marriage, and all relationships, more clearly.”
~ Brent (and Katie) Moody

“I have been to other marriage retreats/counseling sessions over the past several years. None of them compared to the Intimate Covenant retreat. Most of them typically stayed on the surface and talked about your roles, etc. I am thankful that Matt and Jen go beyond the surface and dig deep to find the root to why marriages struggle. It’s different for each individual but a lot of times those struggles are so similar. A lot of people shy away from those conversations and don’t wanna go down those paths because it makes them uncomfortable. I am thankful that Matt and Jen brought up real issues because so many of us are all in the same boat and need help and understanding to create a home for our marriages to thrive.”

“I felt ‘freedom’ after listening to these wonderful topics on how to pursue or respond to intimacy in our marriage. Freedom because: I now understand my role & what strength I have to making our marriage (thus intimacy) more holy.”
~ LauraLee (and Ross) Harkrider

“My husband and I have been married for 7 years now, we only met Matt and Jenn a year ago but truly wish we could’ve taken the class sooner! They provide some wonderful tools to help your marriage and the retreat was an awesome little refresher/ booster shot for us. We are still very young in our marriage and are still learning so much. I wish everyone could take this course whether you’ve been married 20 years or 20 minutes!”

We are Prepare-Enrich certified facilitators. Click here to learn more about this widely-researched couple assessment tool.

We are Matt & Jenn Schmidt. We are not marriage “experts” or licensed counselors. Matt is a veterinary specialist and Jenn is a homeschooling super-mom. Through more than 20 years of marriage, we have struggled with obstacles created by others and of our own doing. However, by the grace of God and through His plan, today we fully enjoy a marriage relationship that is truly intimate and solid.

While our marriage often falls short of perfect unity, we want others to know the full joy and fulfillment that we share. Further, we are certain that the Lord’s church needs solid marriages with individuals that are founded on and motivated by knowing the fullness of true sacrificial love found only in godly marriage. Throughout our marriage we have found great joy and satisfaction in helping mentor other married (and engaged) couples in their journey toward the height of fulfillment that comes from a marriage built on God’s plan.

An Intimate Covenant was developed as a married couples Bible study that grew from the lessons we have learned about building a solid, lasting, fulfilling and glorifying marriage. Beginning with establishing marriage principles from creation and the gospel, our purpose is to help married couples learn to build solid, lasting and true intimacy in marriage and overcome Satan’s obstacles in the process. We explore four dimensions of marital intimacy: Spiritual, Emotional, Mental & Physical. Our aim is to teach married couples in the church to reflect the glory and true intimacy of the marriage of Christ and His Bride.

The purpose of this website is to provide an extension of the class through which we can openly publish and archive materials that we have written about the marriage relationship. Whether you have participated in the class or not, you are invited to join us here by reading and commenting. We pray that, with your participation and God’s blessing, this forum will be informative, challenging, interactive and fun, with open and frank discussion about marriage and the real-life obstacles we all face. 

These recordings are selected from previous events, seminars and classes. Please feel free to distribute them unaltered as you see fit.

Marriage Principles from the Fall

Marriage Principles from the Gospel

Holy Sexual Desire (part 1) — Introduction

Holy Sexual Desire (part 2) — Female Sexuality

Holy Sexual Desire (part 3) — Male Sexuality