A megachurch has held a mass wedding ceremony for 52 couples, after its pastor called on those who were unmarried and cohabiting to “put a ring on it”. 

Pastor John Howerton preached on marriage at Lakepointe Church, Dallas, in late February. He offered the invitation for couples to come forward and receive marriage counselling, before holding a mass ceremony across its church campuses.

At the end of the preach, Howerton said: “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.

“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,” he said.

Howerton said a team of pastors were waiting to support, and “throw a big party” for the wedding. He believed the church family would be too: “These people aren’t going to be judging you, these people are going to be cheering you on as you step forward into obedience in Jesus Christ.”

A phone number for couples to text was shared, so they could “sign up”.

Two weeks later, Howerton shared that 52 couples “came under conviction” after the sermon and took part in the mass wedding, expressing his delight in the “52 couples, 52 families, 52 lineages and legacies and family trees changed forever.”

More than a thousand people were in attendance to support, according to Howerton in a Facebook post.

“My fiancée and I ended up getting married after listening,” James Moore posted in the comments, “we had kept putting it off and making excuses, but this message really lit a fire under us to finally get it done. We’re very thankful for the message.”