Customer Reviews

Called Together

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Excellent preparation, well orgainzed with Scripture into weekly sessions for couples working together or with a counselor.

My pastor asked me/my fiance to purchase this book for our premarital counseling sessions. I haven't really had the time to read the book completely - just skimmed through it a bit, and thought it was very complete as well as spiritually sound. There were a lot of scriptural references too. Best of all - my fiance read through the whole book in less than a week! He said the writer gave him a different perspective on several subjects, most importantly, how to communicate and share the love of Christ in every relationship (not just marriage). We haven't really started our counseling sessions yet (so I still have time to read the book), but it's nice to know there's something out there (on marriage) well-suited for BOTH females and males.

Steve and Mary Prokopchak train premarital and post marital counselors. "Called Together" is designed to be used in a couple to couple mentoring situation. The exercises ask complex questions that need to addressed in the months before and after the wedding itself.

The book is made up of three parts and includes a counselor's guide to go with each of the three sections. An important and comprehensive appendix is also provided.

Filled with scenarios, questions, charts, and illustrations, the material covers subjects of finance, relationship expectations, sexual relations, the ceremony planning, and the hard questions of intercultural or interracial marriages, and the difficult questions that arise when Christians remarry.

I join with the others who applaud the Prokopchak's work. Their counsel is practical, biblically based, and solid. "Called Together" is indispensable as a guidebook for any couple wanting to make a lifetime commitment in a marriage relationship. Outstanding.

Excellant workbook for those soon to be married and those that have been married a short time. This book will give you biblical answers to questions you may have as a couple and help you live a God fullfilled marriage. God wants marriage to last til death you do part.

1. What is this book about? It is about marriage preparation and post-marital checkup, review and counsel. Couples are spending 200 plus hours preparing for a marriage ceremony that is over in a matter of hours and does not prepare them for a lifetime together. This book is about preparing the couple whether it is a first time marriage, intercultural or interracial, or remarriage for a relationship that will stand the test of time through foundation building.
2. What qualifies the authors? Not sure we really are "qualified." But, we have 33 years of a Christ centered marriage together. We have three adult children who are doing very well (fruit from our marriage). I (Steve) have a background of being a social worker for ten years and then a marriage and family counselor for 15 years. Mary is a trained RN and touches people everyday with life problems. We do premarital and postmarital counseling together and have for the past 19 years. We lead a small group together and have been doing that since 1985. We travel the world serving leadership teams of churches challenging them to grow themselves as well as their church. We love God and we love people and have a burden to see the divorce statistic decrease through proper marriage preparation and follow through with counseling after the couple says "I do." I (Steve) have earned a Masters in Human Services (psychology and sociology) degree.
3. What separates this book on today's market? There are a lot of good marriage books and marriage preparation books. This is not a content book that one reads one time. It is a workbook that is best utilized with marriage mentors. It asks questions that most books do not ask and that couples do not think of asking one another. It addresses postmarital which is rare. It addresses remarriage after divorce, remarriage after the death of a spouse and when seniors remarry. It addresses intercultural and interracial marriages. It has many practical helps in appendices and it has a counselor's guide section. It is an all in one volume that is not overwhelming in size. The six premarital chapters cover the major areas of married life and are followed through via postmarital in the first year of marriage - when the highest incidents of divorce occur. It is built upon training the average lay couple sitting in the local church with years of a good marriage under their belt and puts them to work providing marriage mentoring (rather than a busy and difficult to get to pastor). Who of us would not have benefited from marriage mentoring on our way up the alter and then in that tumultuous first year of adjustment? It is an equipping tool and it helps to provide a form of accountability for the marriage mentors as well as the couple being counseled. There is a theme in the book that starts in chapter one in which each individual has a life call, a life mission. This builds by the couple identifying why God is calling them together - their marriage call/mission. This is a missing ingredient in most marriages today - a mission as a couple. This couple will actually write their marriage mission statement and then rewrite it in postmarital.

Couples are going to marry all over the world. Marriage is not Christian, it is a creation act of God - it predates Christianity. We want to help couples prepare and then stay together through the glue of the Holy Spirit by helping them to identify and fulfill their marriage mission like Adam and Eve had in the garden.

I have used this book for over 10 years in helping couples to prepare for marriage. It is very thorough and covers all the apects that I feel are vital to a good marriage. Having been married for over 20 years myself and having counseled many couples who were not well-prepared for marriage, I highly recommend this book for anyone considering entering into a relationship.

Called Together does an excellent job of covering major topics in a way that facilitates effective conversation among couples preparing for marriage. Personally, we have benefitted greatly from the material and the conversations that we had prior to marriage. The material, along with time spent with our counselors, facilitated much-needed conversation that we likely would have overlooked otherwise. The Prokopchaks do a nice job of blending teaching and scripture with personal reflection, journaling, and direction for couple conversation.

In more recent years, we have found Called Together to be an excellent resource as we have walked alongside other couples in their preparation for marriage. For counselors, it provides comprehensive direction in helping couples prepare for a lifelong covenant commitment while exploring the calling of God on their lives.

We pastor a church and have found this book to be a must have for couples who are getting married and for those whom have been married for 20 years, like we have. We use this book for pre-marital counseling and require reading it for couples in our church that desire to be married. The wealth of information in this book cannot be duplicated in any other resource we have found in all our years of ministry!

It is an invaluable tool for you! A must read!

As a pastor, "Called Together" is the best resource I have found for use with couples in premarital counseling. This book asks questions of couples they may not have been asked before, including working on a budget, writing a common vision and mission statement, examining strengths and weaknesses of families of origin and so much more. A particular highlight are the sections regarding remarriage after divorce or the death of a spouse. I highly recommend this book for pastors, counselors, couples, and for those considering marriage in the future.

I am a pastor and have used this material for 19 years. Every couple that I marry must purchase and complete Steve and Mary's book "Called Together". My wife and I sit down with couples who are being married and review their assignments. I am amazed at what God can do with material like this. The couples are encouraged and better equipped for marriage. I have even used the material to counsel couples who are having marital difficulties and who did not have pre-marital counseling. I can enthusiastically recommend this material to any marriage counselor! I must also admit that every time my wife and I take a couple through this material, our marriage has also been strengthened. Thank you Steve and Mary for this valuable resource.