REVIEWS

 When my fiancé and I were looking for a Premarital Counselor, I came across Todd's webpage. I was glad to see that he was passionate about helping couples, that he has been doing this for years and that he is able to do the sessions virtually. Todd has been such a blessing to my fiancé and I. He gave us all the necessary resources and advice on how to be great at marriage. Todd really helped us not see our own perspective of marriage, but most importantly God's perspective. Todd is definitely trust worthy, and one of a kind! So glad to have worked with such a great person! Thank you Todd for everything!

Leslie and Ben

11/2023 

Haley - Working with Todd has been life changing. He has made an impact on my husband and I's marriage as well as us individually. He is honest, unbelievably thoughtful, holds us accountable, gives us tangible goals that we can works towards, a prayer warrior for us and teaches us new ways and approaches to life's struggles. If you truly want to see change and also see what God is capable of doing, Agape Pastoral Services is the way to go. Todd is such a great guy that even when we do finish our package sessions with him, we know we have gained a friend for life, someone in our corner, and someone rooting for us as a team to WIN.  Pick up the phone or send the email today!- I promise it'll be worth every second! 

Nate - Seeing Todd and utilizing his services has changed my life and changed my marriage. He's comfortable to talk to, He helped me to be better in my personal walk with the Lord and in my marriage. I have seen growth in my life and how I treat my wife. If you are reading this my encouragement to you is sign up! You will not regret choosing Agape Services! Watch the Lord Work! 

Mariah - What a blessing it was for you to come into Chris and my life. You have taught us so much during our time together. We connected and learned from you in ways we couldn't have imagined. Thank you for setting us up for a great marriage with God at the center. Forever grateful for you! Love, Mariah  

Chris - Todd, Thanks for everything! You have taught us many valuable lessons that we will use throughout our marriage. You did an awesome job at our ceremony and we couldn't be more happy about how it went. Glad to have met you and made a lifelong friend! 

Mariah and Chris

Spring of 2022

God blessed Sonia and I to have allowed such an excellent premarital counselor to come into our lives. We initially found Todd and Agape Pastoral Services online, as we wanted a counselor who could counsel us through our long-distance relationship. Sonia and I admired that Todd respectfully sets a biblical standard for premarital counseling. Reading the website and our introductory meeting with Todd, he asked the hard questions to make sure we mutually fit and understood expectations before proceeding. Todd’s ability to ask hard questions and vulnerability was an immediate indicator that he wasn’t in it for any other reason but making sure this was the will of God for our lives and seeing us grow as a married couple. Through this process with Todd, the curriculum, tools he provides, and wisdom, we were able to take our communication to the next level and have a conversation about things we previously didn’t consider. The vivid examples of his and his wife’s marriage gave us wise insights and wisdom we will cherish forever. We also respected and appreciated that Todd never rushed his time with us, was thorough and available for any additional questions. Lastly, Todd was very patient, kind, and understanding when scheduling and life conflicts arose through this process. I would highly, again and again, recommend Agape Pastoral Services.

Errol and Sonia

Summer of 2021

 “Matt and I were very thankful to find someone who would actually counsel us long-distance, especially someone who focuses specifically on counseling long-distance couples! After our initial phone call with Todd, we were very encouraged and could tell that he genuinely cared for us. He always started and ended our counseling sessions with prayer, reminding us/emphasizing that our focus should always be on Jesus!

I (Abby) was specifically thankful that we got to work through a very detailed pre-marital counseling workbook - one that covered all the questions I hadn’t even thought about asking! We benefited from getting to talk through these questions as a couple, and then talk through the ideas that were addressed in each chapter with Todd. We learned so much about each other, and we were able to confidently step into marriage with realistic expectations as a result of this counseling. We highly recommend that you choose to go through premarital counseling with Todd - not because it’s going to solve all of your problems, but because you will be challenged and more united leading up to marriage!“

Thank you for your patience!!

Abby & Matt

Summer of 2018

 I could easily write a ten page Testimonial about our experience with Todd LaVine and the Agape counseling service. Putting God at the center of a marriage is the Key!

Todd brought to life through his Ministry, his down to earth ease and his sense of humor the importance, the commitment and dedication it takes to have Agape Love.

He is a Blessed and wonderful counselor, we miss our biweekly time with him. This is not only for premarriage. It is a wonderful amazing experience that I will have for the rest of my life! - Branden

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I knew that God had a hand in bringing Branden and I together, but after 8 years of seeking a relationship with God and making Him the center of my life I was finally at a place where I was at peace.

Your ministry was exactly what I needed to go forward in saying I do.  We looked forward to our counseling and discussing the homework. You helped guide us through the pertinent biblical truths of what marriage looks like in Gods eyes.  I thank God for you and Jodi.  Although we have never met face to face I still felt connected to this counseling (had to be the Holy Spirit). God bless you always.

In Christ love. - Gina
Branden and Gina
Married - August 2018

Good Morning Todd... It's been a while since we've last spoken during our sessions. I wanted to reach out to you and thank you once again for counseling Richanda and I prior to our marriage. We have been living here in Dallas since our July 26th ceremony as a family and things have been going so fast. I'm back to my day to day job here at work, Richanda has secured a position as a 1st Grade teacher here in our local school district, and the girls are all back in school and adjusting. We continue to keep our faith strong and truly thank God each day for bringing us together as a family, as we realize that it was only by way of our Father that we're together.

We have enclosed a couple of pictures from our wedding. One of Richanda and I, and another of the family.

Coriey and Rashanda

Summer of 2017

 We stumbled across Todd’s Premarital Counseling page at a point when we were both thinking about the next step in our relationship. Coming into the situation we were both open minded.

From the beginning, Todd was straight to the point, concise, objective, and – best of all – put God first throughout every topic he counseled us on. Todd’s outside look into our relationship allowed us to identify flaws and weaknesses as he provided us with biblical based solutions and real life examples- to address these issues - along the way. Pre-marital counseling with Todd was a fun, eye-opening experience for us. Our favorite sessions were discussing our compatibility assessments and learning the purpose of marriage. We were able to check unrealistic expectations that we didn’t know existed and communicate through topics we hadn’t explored before pre-marital counseling.

We are wrapping up our first month of marriage and very excited that Todd still remains a resource to us if we ever need spiritual counsel within our marriage, a good prayer, or that perfect verse for any situation.
Thanks Todd!
Wy and Aaron
Married - January 2017

 We want to thank the Lord for putting Todd into our lives. As we were getting ready for our wedding, Todd hand-held us throughout the entire process and his biblical teachings allowed us to learn more about marriage (the way God intended it to be).  Thanks to him, we have learned more about the duties of the husband and the wife and every day, we strive to put into practice what he taught us. Patience, attentive listening and compassion are some of Todd's many qualities.

We strongly recommend him to all couples who are considering getting married.

Angelica & Pascal Ouandji
Married – August 2016

 

 Pre-Marriage Counseling with Agape was such a blessing to us. When we began looking for someone to counsel us, we were dating long distance, so we needed someone who could be flexible. Todd was so easy to relate to and open up with, and it really prepared us in ways that we couldn't have done on our own.

When we got engaged we were so infatuated with the reality of our upcoming wedding, and we really needed someone to bring us down from cloud nine to teach us the ins and outs of what it meant to be a husband and wife.

The book that we worked through together really helped us learn the foundations of a good marriage that would last a lifetime, and it was very practical on top of that. Being able to have that book as a reference in times when we need encouragement is so helpful. Not to mention the continued support from Todd. We knew that preparing for a lifelong marriage would honor God. 

What we didn't know was that it would be so much fun. Thank you, Todd, for instilling such great wisdom in us, and for all of the prayers and support.

Cody & Andrea Phillips
January of 2016

As divorced Christians, Amy and I did not want to repeat our mistakes. We wanted to lay hold of the blessings promised for those who are married and follow Christ, and we had missed the mark in our previous relationships. Being in our 40s and both unmarried for over 10 years, we both felt that pre-marital counseling was a non-negotiable.

Because we met online, we needed distance counseling. While both of our pastors could have done it, we felt led to find someone that neither of us had history with, and Todd was the first person we found. Our pastors checked out his site and material, and gave the blessing. Starting late with Todd (only a few months before our wedding due to a short engagement) there was a time crunch.

We can only say that we experienced the most incredible blessings from Todd and his wisdom, experience and humble counsel during our sessions.

Everyone brings baggage to the relationship, but we had more than our fair share. Although we had sought individual counseling years earlier, Todd's approach was both fresh and well-grounded. A few times we needed to go "off-syllabus," because we were experiencing challenges based upon our history. Todd helped us through those areas and also helped us confirm that we were well-suited to be with each other. What a blessing!

We can't recommend Biblical pre-marital counseling in general, or Todd LaVine's ministry specifically, more highly. Todd has been given a gift and the Holy Spirit uses him well!

Marshall and Amy
May of 2013

  We wanted to thank you again for guiding us through our pre-wedding counseling. It was a great experience and we both learned so much about each other.

Brian and Elissa
November of 2011 

 Just checking in with you to let you know everything is going really good! We are applying everything you taught us and putting GOD first in our marriage. I know it hasn't been that long, but I have never been happier and Martine feels the same way. Like I have said before, God sent us to you with a purpose. You helped us and guided us, best of all you told us things we didn't want to hear. You were honest with us and it made us open our eyes to really work on our differences and apply the teachings of JESUS into our marriage.  So from the bottom of our hearts we thank you again.

Nicola & Martine
Married - August 2011

 We chose Agape Premarital Counseling because our long distance relationship prevented us from doing traditional premarital counseling. We would recommend Agape to ANY couple seriously considering marriage.

The in-depth Christ centered process utilized by Pastor Todd is an amazing way to create a solid foundation for a life-long, loving marriage. After talking with other Christians about their premarital counseling experiences, we realized that Agape is a very substantial, comprehensive program, and that everyone being in the same room isn't as important as having a solid, Biblical plan for entering the marriage relationship.

Todd's sound, Bible based approach gave us the tools we needed to properly bond.  We still refer to the things we learned from our experience with Todd as we continue grow together in Christ.  If you are searching for a premarital counseling experience that will positively impact your marriage long after the honeymoon is over, Agape Premarital Counseling is for you!

Paul and Debra
Married July of 2011 

We have found that premarital counseling has been a great help to our relationship. I've learned to be more open with my husband and together we have torn down many walls. James has started to communicate more freely with me and we have really bonded and I can honestly now call him my best friend. We share an amazing connection that no one can hinder.

We hold our "Preparing for Marriage" workbook as one of our prized possessions. We are really satisfied with the material and guidance we received from Todd. We are really happy and feel that we could not have done this without his help. Premarital counseling was our first step together.  We both agree that it was a great help and we walked away with our initial goals met... finding the tools needed to start the bond of a cohesive marriage. Thank you Todd so very much for your dedicated time, advice and help.

James and Elizabeth
Married June of 2011

Both coming with baggage from two broken long term unions and determined to not repeat. With the challenge of schedules and distance, we searched and found in your premarital counseling the perfect fit for what we desired in our quest for loving and being loved in a manner glorifying to God.

Thank you Todd for making a 

difference, for allowing God to use you in a way that it so honoring and fruitful in a world that struggles to maintain a positive moral compass. You are a blessing!

Holger and Edi
July of 2011
 

 Taking advantage of premarital counseling was the best decision we made before getting married. The counseling really gave us the extra foundation we need to build a healthy Christian marriage.  We did a lot of research and felt that Agape Premarital Counseling was the best fit for us. Finding a Christian counselor was also very important. We wanted to be sure we knew what God expected of us in marriage.

The counseling helped us to communicate better, and express our feeling openly. The skills we learned have been very beneficial to the success of our marriage. We also learned what unconditional love really was, and how God expects us to love each other.

We are very appreciative to Pastor LaVine and the Agape Premarital Counseling and the continuing support that has been offered thru our first year of marriage. May God continue to bless you to be a blessing to others.

Toron and Veronica
April of 2011

 Contacting Agape Pre-Marital Counseling was an important step in our process of obtaining a solid foundation for our marriage.  We were a Christian couple in love and intending to marry but decided we wanted to go through in-depth pre-marital counseling within a spiritual environment.  Our long-distance relationship and hectic schedules living and working in two different cities presented an obstacle to this all important step.  However, with much prayer and resolve, we found Agape Pre-Marital Counseling online which turned out to be a blessing.  We were able to schedule sessions over Skype or by conference calls during the weekends irrespective of whether we were together or apart.  Pastor Todd expertly navigated us through our sessions accompanied by a very good workbook.  We addressed so many significant issues and we found it amazing how he guided us to concrete resolutions using scripture.

Our sessions with Pastor Todd were extremely valuable to us in obtaining the firm foundations necessary for a joyous and everlasting union. The sessions were also lots of fun and we thoroughly enjoyed them under his direction; therefore it was only natural that we asked him to officiate our marriage ceremony which was  performed superbly and to us was the best wedding ever.

Considering how valuable we feel our experience with Pastor Todd has been to our “Journey of Love”, we will not hesitate to recommend Agape Pre-Marital Counseling services to any Christian couple serious about a happy lifelong union with God at the center.  The confidence we have in the certainty of our future in love and marriage is in part a tribute to the quality of our pre-marital counseling sessions.

Thank you Pastor Todd.

Bola and Tola

Married August 2010

Hello Todd!

I hope we're finding you well and having a wonderful Christmas season.

First and foremost we wanted to say thank you so much for all of your insight and encouragement as we began our new adventure together. Your wisdom and advice was priceless for us to begin discussing God's intentions for marriage and companionship.

We are having a great time up here in Anchorage and have settled in quite well. We have even found a church that we both love and hope to get more involved soon.

Thank you again for everything and we send our very best from Alaska.

Seth and Mary - 8/2010 

 It would be a definite understatement to say that long distance relationships are hard. They are almost unbearable!  Sometimes it’s hard to see what God wants to do with you as a couple when you are physically apart.

Jonathan and I have had the honor of having Todd mentor us through the long distance challenges that helped us to have a better understand of what a marriage is and how it works.  Lots of ideas were sparked and new ways of looking at things have challenged us to be better individuals and a better couple. We would recommend the Agape marriage counseling to anyone! It has definitely been a blessing and help to Jonathan and I relationship.

Thank again Todd! - Jessica

Jessica and I met over a year ago. As she is Canadian and I am American, we have been having a long distance relationship.  I proposed to Jessica this past Christmas and realized that in order to have a solid relationship and marriage, we needed some extra help!

We found Todd to be a great help and mentor to us as he took the time to explain the values of a marriage and what it takes to have a successful one.  Todd is a great mentor and teacher – and it especially helped us when he used his own life to give us examples of a working marriage.

Jessica and I are excited to start our lives together and we owe a big thank you to Todd.

Jonathon and Jessica
Spring of 2010

 We utilized Agape Premarital Counseling prior to our wedding and have nothing but great things to say about the experience.  We were slightly apprehensive about counseling over the phone, but it turned out that Todd was an excellent counselor and the course curriculum was superb. 

We appreciated Todd's genuine interest in our marital well being and felt very comfortable talking to Todd about any issue engaged couples face.  The Christian focus was absolutely the best choice for any Christian couple who wants to do things according to God's Word.  We took pages of notes and have reviewed them during our first year of marriage.

For any couple wondering if Agape Premarital Counseling is right for you, it is!  We will recommend Todd's services to any engaged Christian couple we know.

With Love,

Jason and Lisset - 2009

Dave and I were in a long-distance relationship prior to getting married.  Dave is in the military on the West Coast and I had just finished school in the Midwest.  We both recognized the importance to do some type of premarital counseling, even with the fact that we were long distance.

Todd offered to do the long-distance counseling with us, which consisted of weekly assignments from a workbook and an hour session on the phone with him.  To be honest, we were both a little nervous about how this might work, and whether or not we would actually learn anything in the process.

But it turned out to be an AMAZING experience for both of us.  We both learned things about each other that we wouldn't have without doing this counseling and grew even closer through the process.  Talking on the phone with Todd became natural and comfortable very quickly for all of us, and his easygoing demeanor facilitated some great conversations.

Premarital counseling was very beneficial for our marriage and for our relationship with God.  Many couples don't have the option to do traditional counseling in person, just like we didn't, but doing the long-distance counseling with Todd was not only the easiest method that we had available, but it also turned out to be the best.”

Thanks for everything Todd!

Brittany and David

Married - October 2008