A Texas church has offered couples a unique opportunity to get out of cohabitating relationships and down the aisle.

Bryan Carter, senior pastor at Concord Church in Dallas, Texas, first recognized a call on his life to lead others to Christ as a teenager. That call was realized in 2003, and Carter now been a pastor for the past 15 years.

"We have a focus on really helping people to grow to their potential in Christ," he shared.

His church, located on the southern side of Dallas, is home to about 9,000 congregants, and holds to a mission of "people growing people by connecting them to their next step with Christ."

It's all about relational learning and growth in all areas, Carter says, whether that be financially, spiritually, or in their own relationships.

"Our whole goal, whether singles or men or women, is through the word of God, to really help people to grow, help them to take their next steps in Christ... We just want to help people to understand that when God calls us to Him, He also calls us to grow.

"We find great joy in growing and being all he's called us to be."

Recently, Carter says that Concord Church has been working diligently to partner with other organizations in their community and across the city to break down the segregation in Dallas.

"There really is one church in Dallas that ought to be working together to improve the community, but also, more importantly, to advance the gospel of Jesus Christ."

The passion Carter has for personal growth and commitment in all aspects of life to faith laid the foundation for his recent call on cohabiting couples within the church he pastors to make a change.

"60 per cent of couples will live together before they're married," explained the pastor, "and many couples that end up living together, they get stuck."

It is also common for many couples that live together prior to marriage never actually get married, Carter continued. "Our goal was to really invite people to honour the word of God and honour God's call on their life, that a covenant with God, a covenant marriage between a man and a woman is more important than just cohabiting."

Carter preached a message accordingly, challenging couples within the church to take a leap of faith, either into marriage or out of the relationship.

Three main courses of action were encouraged by the pastor: for singles to remove consideration of living together prior to marriage from their minds, and for those already living together to move out or get married. Now.

For those who decided to move out, whether or not they also decided to end the relationship, Concord Church offered to cover the cost of up to a month's rent while they made more permanent arrangements.

Those who would embark on the 90-day marriage challenge would receive 11 weeks of relationship training, to be concluded with a free wedding, including a dress, tuxedo, rings, and more.

"We would cover all the costs. We wanted them to focus on their relationship, and then we would focus on the wedding."

This wasn't the first call to the wedding alter that Carter has administered, however. The pastor says that he has offered this opportunity to couples four times over the last 10 years, resulting in over 50 unions and four situations where individuals asked for assistance in moving out.

"It's been a great response, we've had a lot of people wanting to be a part of it," said Carter.

"Some couple, you just get stuck in life, so for them to have the opportunity to really step into a God-honouring marriage, for many, it just feels like a win-win both for them and for their walk with God."

Carter says that not much negative feedback has come as a result of their marriage challenge. "At the end of the day, we're trying to build strong marriages and strong families. We're not trying to pressure anyone... all we're trying to do is open an opportunity for you to have a real conversation about your relationship."

A strong commitment, as is formed through the process of marriage, is something that the pastor says he believes provides the integral foundation for a long-lasting relationship.

Carter himself first lived with his wife before getting married. "It's an easier route... You can save money, it's a safe way to test the relationship, why do we need the two places; it's easy to slide into it."

While cohabitating may be an easier option, Carter says he hopes that couples will consider marriage to strengthen their relationships both with each other and Christ. "The challenge is that it's just not the best way to build a relationship.

"Marriage is not about me 'testing you out,' it's really about me being committed to you... moving in together and assuming a marriage relationship or a sexual relationship without the commitment, it really dooms a relationship before it even gets started.

"Our hope is, let's start a different way."