Greetings, if you haven't visited Biblical Families recently, you may not be aware that we have a lot happening in 2025 in support of Biblical patriarchy - including a now regular newsletter!  Please read this short article, then keep reading for upcoming fellowship opportunities - retreats in Atlanta in 3 weeks, Washington in 8 weeks, and the ladies retreat this coming weekend.



5 Questions to Ask When Considering Plural Marriage

Biblical Polygamy isn’t so much about understanding the concept of having multiple wives as it is the understanding of one biblical husband.  What do I mean by that?  Once we truly understand the revelation of worship, relationship, and submission to the one and only true God, then and only then can we revelate how biblical polygamy works and thrives.

When we genuinely understand there to only be one head and the reflection of that one head means to look just like our one true Lord, then we can lay the foundational work towards what it looks like to be a Biblical husband.  Before desiring polygamy, we should desire to reflect the Lord.  Don’t get the cart before the horse.

Five questions to ask yourself to set things in order:
1) Why do I desire plural marriage? Why do I desire marriage at all?  Both as a man or a woman.
As a man, what about your desire to marry looks like the Lord’s desire towards His church? What is the foundational similitude? Does your motive align with the same thinking that the Lord himself would demonstrate towards his bride?  Is it driven by genuine, sacrificial love or kingdom-minded purpose? (Ephesians 5:25-29). Will you give yourself for her complete growth in the Lord? Will you lead her in sanctification? Will you cleanse and wash her in the word, meaning you will dedicate yourself to growing and being accountable in scripture and truth? Will you become accountable for every spot and wrinkle in her life and help her to be presentable for her creator? Will you love her as your own body? This is “Ephesians 5” love.
As a woman, is your marital motivation centered around your husband looking like the Lord in your family? (Ephesians 5:22-24). Are you willing and desiring to be led or rather to lead? Is your desire to be a piece of his body like the members of the church or are you looking to have someone who compliments “your” goals? Are you driven to be the eye or hand or rib that makes the kingdom of your home move and flourish in a way that reflects Heaven? What does the vision for the home look like?

2) Do I desire to reflect the Heavenly King and His perfect church or an earthly king and a people who demonstrate earthly liberty?
What do I mean by this? Is plural marriage what would make you a king or is plural marriage a result of the life you choose daily to live in alignment with your almighty king? Is your husband role one that is committed to pointing your wife/wives closer to the Lord?
Wives, is your desire of liberty one of authority and freedom that requires no submission or is it a freedom and authority empowered THROUGH submission just as ours is with Christ?

3) Am I or are we counting the cost?
(Luke 14:28) If you think plural marriage doesn’t require planning and counting the cost, you will be in for a great surprise.  All flourishing marriages, whether plural or not, that look like Christ and his kingdom will include vision. “Where there is no vision, the people perish.” (Proverbs 29:18)
Because of the society we are in, plural marriage includes both wonderful blessings but also new challenges that can be overwhelming if not prepared for. You must count the cost.  Some things you can’t prepare for but many things you absolutely must.  Honest and hard conversations are not a tomorrow matter, they are a today action!

4) How and why would I be a blessing to a wife or wives?
(The Lord is our blesser) A common misunderstanding is that the man has a house full of servants when it comes to plural marriage.  Christ said he came to minister/serve.  In fact, the serving that comes from a wife is patterned after a husband who creates an atmosphere of servitude.  It looks different than the service of the wife.  A husband’s service is based on the level of commitment he yields to the Lord and passing that direction, wisdom, teaching, steady hand, vision, strength and covering to his wife or wives and in return, he creates an atmosphere where the service of the wife/wives is able to flourish under his direction.  If the vision and purpose are clear, she is empowered to better serve for the greater good of the home.  The husband’s call is to clear the path for the woman to walk in fluently.  He MUST be a man of prayer, study, sacrifice and discipline.  This is his first work of serving his wife and home.  More wives means even more commitment to uphold these actions on his end.  If a man does not serve Christ, he breaks the link in the Heavenly Kingdom chain by having his wife serve him.

5) Are you evenly yoked?
(2 Corinthians 6:14) Unequally yoked in marriage does not work.  Being unequally yoked in a plural marriage is even more difficult. You must be common and unified in vision, purpose and direction.  As a team, you are yoked together.  This means you are just like oxen sharing a load and finding balance. If one person is dead weight, there is no ability to carry the yoke together which marriage is designed for.  Your marriage is your first kingdom operation that you are called to manage. Unequally yoked choices are a setup for disaster. When you marry him or her, don’t just marry because of how they make you feel or how they look.  Don’t add wives just because you can.  Look at that future wife or husband and honestly ask yourself….. can we carry the yoke fluently together?



-Jacob Foulk, author Exposing the Spirit of Ashtoreth



If you'd like to discuss this article on the forum, see the discussion here.

See the videos of Jacob speaking at the Ohio retreat here.



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We have had 2 retreats this year already in Ohio, and Florida - and we now have regional fellowship happening in both those locations on a regular basis. If you'd like to learn more about those, visit our local groups page.



Please note that our retreats are not just for plural, or considering plural, families - they are open to anyone who wants to learn more about Biblical patriarchy, including single men and women.  You can stay up-to-date on retreats between newsletters by bookmarking our retreat section in the Biblical Families forum, or the retreat web page.



Our next 2 retreats are coming up quickly:

Atlanta, GA                      East of downtown                  April 11th-13th, 2025
 Just 3 weeks away!  Joining us again and sharing will be Jacob Foulk.  If you haven’t been to a retreat before, there's no need to be nervous - there will be time for worship, prayer, sharing, discussing, eating together, encouraging, having fun, and most of all fellowshipping.  If you are looking to fellowship with other patriarchal Christian families, and you can get to Atlanta this weekend (which is Palm Sunday weekend), you'll find it worth the effort.   We have a nice hotel location, east of the beltway, for easy driving.



If you’d like to receive the details, you can reply to this email, or email [email protected] and if you are new, just tell us a little bit about yourself.   

Pacific Northwest          Central Washington                 May 16th-18th, 2025

Just 8 weeks from now:  We are coming to Washington, the one west coast state we have never held a retreat in, in 17 years of doing retreats.   We were last in the PNW, near Portland, in 2019, and we know we have a lot of folks out West that we’ve never met, or haven’t seen in quite a while, so this should be a great time of building some relationships in the area.  We'd love to be able to support a regional patriarchal group after this retreat - even if only quarterly.  We have chosen a nice hotel to the southeast of Yakima, WA - making a roughly equal drive from Seattle, Portland and Spokane - and easy from much of Idaho.  If you’d like to receive details on this retreat, write us at [email protected].

(For the eagle-eyed, yes, this event has been moved 2 weeks later than originally stated.)



Women’s Retreat               Austin, TX                       March 28th-30th, 2025

It's not too late to join the ladies (married and single welcome) who will be meeting this coming weekend!  It's a small group, and they always report a great time of fellowship, prayer, and study.  Guys, if you can let your wife/wives get away, it’s a great way to bless them.  Write [email protected] to get details.

Summer Retreat and Family camp   near Gatlinburg, TN    Aug 17-20th, 2025

We have a great new location lined up in the mountains this year, with lots of activities for the kids.  We will be doing meals together again, so we can all stay on property.  Camping options are close by.  This is always our largest event of the year, so if you can make it, we highly recommend this for the fellowship, worship, prayer, and relationship-building among patriarchal believers.  Note that we will start on Sunday this year.  Put this on your calendar now, make plans for the time off, and drop an email to get on the list for retreat details when they are ready.

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Join us in a new vision for Biblical Families

If you've been around Biblical Families for a while, you know that we rarely make any request for support. We don't charge for retreat attendance, we just ask for those who are able to contribute towards covering retreat expenses. Other than that, this has always been a labor of love for us - and will remain so. But we have a new vision for 2025: the increase of retreats, the goal of establishing local patriarchal fellowships as God sends those who can help, and some online outreaches we believe we are supposed to do. The reality is we need some who agree with our Biblical patriarchal message, including fellowship and counseling support of those in or considering plural marriage, to partner with us this year, in order to be able to make these things happen. Please note that no one at Biblical Families is paid - we are a completely volunteer organization. But the retreats have a cost for meeting space and travel, as does online outreach.  If you've been blessed, will you consider supporting Biblical Families with a one-time, or on-going, gift? If you are like many of us, and are not fully welcome at your local church, perhaps a portion of your tithe and offerings could be directed towards these goals. Please see here for ways you can donate, and feel free to reach out if you have any questions about who we are or what we do.



Thank you, Biblical Families Staff

We hope to meet you at an event this year, but outside of retreats, Biblical Families is available for counseling, both in person where possible, or online and by phone.  We have families who have been living in plural marriage, and walking patriarchally, for many years, and we are happy to put you in touch with someone who can counsel with you, offer in-person fellowship if you are willing to travel, or just listen and pray with you.  We know families are under attack in our culture, and everyone needs some type of support.  “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” Galatians 6:2.  If we can be a help to you and your family, please write us anytime, at [email protected].