Together
A Guide for Couples Doing Ministry Together
- Marriage, Family & Relationships
- Publisher: Thomas Nelson
- Published: 2018
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Publisher's Description
Serving in numerous ministry capacities together, Geoff and Sherry Surratt have valuable lessons and observations to pass along to couples seeking to serve in ministry together. Marriage is hard. Learning to do life with another human being presents unanticipated challenges that take determined, focused, humbling effort to work through. Ministry is hard. Much like marriage, it's full of unanticipated challenges, requires a great deal of selflessness, and often comes with little reward. Marriage and ministry together? It’s a unique calling, yet couples who enter into it seldom receive adequate preparation, training, or even warning! Geoff and Sherry Surratt have been at both marriage and ministry together for over 30 years and have seen the highs, lows, and everything in between—they've managed to figure out a way to make it all work together. But the Surratts aren't the Facebook ministry couple with perfect hair, perfect skin, and perfect children. In fact, Together isn't a how-to-guide to create the model marriage-in-ministry. It's more like coffee with friends who've been where you are going and have learned some valuable lessons that may help you find your way, together.
Endorsements (16)
“Living in the spotlight of fulltime ministry can be tough on a marriage, which is why I’m so glad my friends Geoff and Sherry Surratt have written Together. With an invaluable his-and-her perspective, this book reveals how to navigate the challenges that come when couples minister together. Their combined wisdom and insight are invaluable for any couple wanting to grow closer to each other even as they grow closer to God.”
“Over the years my family has experienced the challenges of ministry firsthand, which is why I am so thankful for Geoff and Sherry Surratt’s new book. The powerful, insightful, and real-life illustrations in Together: A Guide for Couples in Ministry will serve as a great tool to help other couples navigate the privileges and tests that come with full-time ministry.”
“At the risk of sounding obvious, being married and in ministry is tricky! In Together, through transparency, humor, and practicality, Sherry and Geoff help us know we are not alone. They are not only great writers, they live out their words with great passion and intentionally. It’s really clear they love and like each other in the midst of ministry; this book can help you do the same.”
“Sherry and Geoff Surratt are practitioners and not theoreticians. Their practical wisdom, forged in the crucible of their own ministry and marriage, uniquely qualifies them to speak help and hope to other ministry couples. You will find Together a fresh, authentic, and vulnerable work full of pragmatic insight, encouragement, and guidance. Geoff and Sherry invite us to cultivate the relational vibrancy so essential to ministry effectiveness and longevity. Invest in both your ministry and relationship . . . read this book!”
“The challenges of ministry are numerous! Add to those challenges the desire to build and sustain a happy, healthy, marriage while ministering together, and the degree of difficulty has compounded. In this book my friends Geoff and Sherry Surratt have given ministry couples who are navigating the important journey of ministry and marriage the benefit of their efforts and experience. You can learn from their wisdom and insight as you lessen the degree of difficulty for your marriage and minister together. This is a must read for every ministry couple!”
“Whenever I get to talk to Geoff and Sherry Surratt, coauthors of Together, I smile, laugh, and go away encouraged. The same thing happened when I read this book. It’s not only practical but laugh-out-loud funny. I don’t care if you are in ministry with your spouse or not, reward yourself by reading reading this new work about real, live ministry and how to thrive in all the ups and downs.”
“Geoff and Sherry Surratt are fun people to be with. Their new book, Together, provides an open, honest, and refreshing look at the challenges of marriage and ministry. We recommend this book to all couples involved in serving God together. Senior Pastor, King’s Church London Geoff and Sherry Surratt are an outstanding couple. Yes, they each have significant ministries in their own right, but it’s their thriving togetherness over decades of ministry that I absolutely want to wholeheartedly endorse. This amazing couple have not only survived but thrived through the ups and downs of ministry over the long haul. Their new book, Together: A Guide for Couples in Ministry, is a must read for every young ministry couple.”
“I love the heart and direction of this book. It is a much-needed guide for navigating the challenge of life in the fishbowl of ministry and marriage.”
“Sometimes within the same organization, and sometimes in separate endeavors, Geoff and Sherry have faced the unique challenges of marriage and vocational ministry all their married life. This articulate and vulnerable sharing of their ministry/marriage journey will be wonderfully helpful and encouraging to other ministry couples.”
“I’ve seen Geoff and Sherry Surratt navigate the challenges of marriage and ministry through the years, both in roles with start-up churches and national organizations that required them to come up with creative ways to make their family life work. Their journey has taken some unexpected turns, and they’ve made some daring decisions. I think the experiences they share in Together will help any couple during the best of times, the less-than-ideal times, and the many days in the middle that make the real difference for two people together.”
“Founder and CEO of Orange and the Rethink Group, Inc. I was first aware of Geoff’s ministry through his hugely important role in helping Seacoast Church become such a successful multi-site model. More recently I’ve had the privilege of working with him and Sherry as part of the team who have been helping to run the European Learning Communities. They are such a great couple with so much to teach us. Read and be encouraged!”
Dr. Dave Smith
“My family has experienced the challenges of ministry together firsthand, and we’ve learned over the years how important it is to be intentional in protecting our marriage. Through Geoff and Sherry’s wisdom, encouragement, and practical advice, Together will help ministry couples do just that.”
Dr. Chris Railey
“If you are a parent in ministry, you’ll want to read Together. In this book the Surratts, in their authentic style, will help you navigate the ups and downs of having a thriving family life while doing ministry together.”
“Whether its in an official capacity or not, if you are in ministry and you’re married, you have to figure out the “together” part. My family has experienced the challenges firsthand, and there are some pitfalls we never saw coming. We are going to give this book to every family we know, including our kids. Geoff and Sherry are honest about their highs and lows, and that’s really the point. Knowing how to identify and anticipate with the Surratt’s thirty-plus years of experience will be a huge advantage to you. I wish we’d had this book a long, long time ago.”
Dr. Tim Harlow
“Together is a much-needed guide for navigating the challenges of life in the fishbowl of ministry and marriage.”
“It’s no mystery that the ministry marriage is a place of great joy, but also great stress. You can multiply that for couples who are in ministry together! together! In this volume Geoff and Sherry Surratt offer sage and timely advice for those who have embraced the unique challenge of ministry together.”
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