Why Small Groups? Together Toward Maturity

by Greg Somerville C. J. Mahaney

Why Small Groups? [Oct 01, 1996] C. J. Mahaney; Greg Somerville and Kevin Meath …

Genres: Christian, Theology, Discipleship, Church, Leadership, Nonfiction, Christianity

133 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 1996

Reviews

[Will Rodrguez · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Must read for any small group leader, member or for anyone who is looking for an spiritual growth.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

This little book is a helpful introduction to the importance of small groups in the local church. I love how the authors of this book don't just present small groups as a good option for churches, but confidently assert that small groups are a necessity for a biblically healthy church. C.J. Mahaney (the book's editor) states this when he says, "A church following a biblical model will not just 'have' small groups. It will not just merely 'offer' small groups. Rather, it will be built with small groups" (Mahaney, 3). It's comforting to see a book on small groups be adamant about the importance of small groups. I gained a lot of good insight from this book that I hope to apply to our church's small groups. The only downfall of the book is the one that any anthology faces, which is an inconsistent/disconnected voice throughout the book. There were some chapters that were incredible and some that were alright. Overall, I would suggest this to our Life Group leaders and am sure that there's things they will benefit from within it.

[Tudor Gadalean · Rating 5 out of 5]

O carte care a intrecut toate asteptarile pe care le aveam.
Este un ghid potrivit pentru oricine, fie ca apartine sau nu unui grup mic, fie ca e doar membru sau e lider. Cartea face o treaba buna explicand importanta unui grup mic in viata membrilor, dar si pentru biserica.
E interesanta si structura, pe langa continutul fiecarui capitol se gasesc pe margini casute cu diferite pasaje din Biblie sau citate de la alti autori, care sustin anumite afirmatii, dar si marturii ale unor persoane membre in diferite grupuri mici. La finalul capitolului se gasesc si intrebari pentru discutii in grup. Toate acestea ma fac sa descriu cartea mai mult ca pe un manual, care pe langa expunerea informatiei, te indruma si sa aplici ceea ce ai citit.
Poate cel mai mare defect al cartii e ca e prea scurta...

[Troy Nevitt · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was fine. Helpful. Written with a semi-casual feel, which is probably what it was intended to be. So it accomplishes its task and does a decently good job. It has a lot of information and helpful tips in it. Good heart matters. I would generally recommend this book, though it's not my favourite tone or writing.

Tl;dr: content is very good, but it wasn't my favourite read.

[Kaitlin Ross · Rating 5 out of 5]

A small book packed with much needed Biblical truth for today’s church. A great mix of big picture concepts and practical suggestions, all grounded in sound doctrine and theology. I could have done without a few of the corny, dated jokes, especially one extreme (and unhelpful) generalization about men. But otherwise, a must read for every believer!

[Peter LaRuffa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book, but way more "how" than "why."

[Kenneth Clayton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mahaney, C.J.: Why Small Groups? Together Toward Maturity (113pgs)(G) This was formative in helping me understand the importance of small groups for a church. There is also a lot of great material for leaders and those in the group on their roles. I feel like they slightly presented small groups as a must have for a church as the only way to really fulfill some scriptural commands and I don’t think I’m quite as gun hoe about them as the authors. I do though feel more convinced of the good that can happen with them. I would definitely recommend this book for those looking to implement a small groups ministry or wanting to improve an existing one. I was pleased to see the last chapter emphasize the importance of the groups working towards growing the local church and not just becoming some parachurch organization. I would like to see an emphasis on daily family worship a God given small group and hope that a small group would not take fathers away from leading worship in their families. Overall good book.

[Joel · Rating 2 out of 5]

The content of the book is good overall, a basic theology and mostly application-based. Some of the quotations included are from great writers. I just wasn't wild about the presentation. Too many attempts at humor led me to not take their points seriously, and when entire sections are written sarcastically (and identified thus) I'm not exactly sure that it does anything better than try for amusing. As I said, the content is great - I just wish different writers would have penned the book. Better than most small group books out there, though.

[Christopher Brehm · Rating 1 out of 5]

Very fast and easy read, great practical advice on why the church should have small groups. The formulation of sanctification is a bit lacking, putting too much emphasis on our role in sanctification. This leads the reader to assume that we are responsible for our own sanctification, which leads to some very unfortunate results. Legalism applied to yourself and others and not resting in God's love and finished work.

[Ebookwormy1 · Rating 4 out of 5]

We read this as an assignment for a small group leader training at our church. It was helpful. We are re-reading it for our small group leadership meetings.

The work provides a great tune-up for experienced leaders and a solid introduction for newbies. The book is interesting, well-written and chuck full of wisdom. Highly Recommended.

[Douglas · Rating 4 out of 5]

A relatively concise view of how small groups operate in modern America. Most of the time I felt it did not address the struggles of being the Church in a culture that is antithetical to Biblical living. The last chapter and the appendix were the best attempts to tackle the rampant individualism and entitlement mentality that has infected the modern church.

[Paula]

I am reading this book with a dear friend. It has good sidebar questions, scriptures and various quotes that I have never read before. Not just standard church talk about the importance of fellowship, but real, thought provoking and challenging thoughts on why small groups.

[Josh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great combination of theological grounding and practical application. In particular, they included a list of questions to ask yourself to answer, "am I leading out of grace?" It was very convicting and I'm sure it will continue to be helpful to me.

[Jonathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good read, especially for anyone looking to start or join a small group at their church. It describes biblically and practically what the small group is for and how it supports the church as a whole.

[Bryan McWhite · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely the best book out there on the why and how of being involved in a small group in a local church. Every start-up small group should begin with this text, without exception.

[Patrick Hamblin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Recommend for anyone who leads or attends a small group. Book provides a biblical basis for small groups, the benefits of small groups, and common pitfalls to watch out for.

[Gerald · Rating 2 out of 5]

Short read, love their perspective, wish there were more bible references.