Mark and Emily are among dozens to be ordained across the country into the Church of England this weekend.
But uniquely they are also married. Having gone through theological college and training as a couple, Emily Hudghton, 27, and Mark, 28, will become deacons together at the same ceremony in Durham Cathedral on Sunday.
Both said they wanted to go into ministry before they met at York University and their shared calling helped bring them together.
'We did not see each other and think, "You are going to be a vicar so I definitely want to marry you,"' Emily tells Christian Today.
'But I think it means we were coming from the same place in terms of the way we wanted to live our lives.'
She adds: 'I think our marriage has been a great source of support to us as we have been going through our training and I can't imagine it will be any different.'
With two clergy under one roof, they admit there is a danger they turn inwards to church issues and politics. But they also insist there is a benefit in they both get what the other is going through.
'We both understand the stresses and strains and the joys,' says Mark.
Still firmly in their 20s, they are among a flood of young people taking Holy Orders this summer.
The Church of England has reported a 14 per cent rise in people training for ordination this year and a 17 per cent increase in the number of women.
Among the 543 beginning theological college, one in four are under 32, signalling a much-needed shift if the CofE is to replace its ageing clergy.
While there are small doses of hope, the broad picture is still one of decline, with the Church's own predictions estimating another 30 years of falling attendance.
While an 81-year-old is now eight times more likely to attend services than an 18-year-old, Mark and Emily are part of a crucial influx of younger worshippers if the Church is to reverse the decline.
But faced with this predicament, they are full of optimism.
'I think I would start by saying we have enormous hope for the future of the Church of England,' Emily tells Christian Today.
Both said their training had given 'so many reasons to be excited and hopeful for the future'.
Mark adds: 'Jesus is Lord and Jesus wants people to come to know him through the Church in this country.
'I can't see the future of the church in England and the Church of England being anything other than positive.'
He continues: 'God is doing amazing things throughout the whole Church. God is using the Church to bring people to him.'
Aware they are a tiny part of a much bigger change that needs to happen, Mark says he feels like the boy in the gospel story of feeding the 5,000, who brought his small lunch to Jesus only for it to be multiplied.
'We don't bring anything in and of ourselves other than what God has given us to give away,' he says, with Emily adding: 'We can love people. That is our part to play.'
