Life-Giving Groups: "How-To" Grow Healthy, Multiplying Community Groups

by Jeremy Linneman

After many years of leading small groups and coaching hundreds of small group leaders, pastor and writer Jeremy Linneman has come to a bold Community groups are the best place for us — as relational beings — to become mature followers of Christ.

This short book seeks to answer two How can our community groups cultivate mature disciples of Christ? And how can our groups grow and multiply to sustain a healthy church?

Whether you are new to community groups or tired from years of challenging ministry, Life-Giving Groups is a fresh, practical invitation to life together in Christ.

JEREMY LINNEMAN is the lead pastor of Trinity Community Church in Columbia, Missouri. Prior to planting Trinity, he spent seven years as a community pastor of Sojourn Community Church in Louisville, Kentucky. He is the author of many articles and several short books and coaches leaders around the country. He and his wife, Jessie, have been married for 12 years and have three sons. Connect with him at jslinneman.com.

86 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 24, 2017

Reviews

[Harbor Network · Rating 5 out of 5]

"The Sojourn Network how-to ebooks are a great combination of biblical theology and practical advice, driven by a commitment to the gospel and the local congregation. Written by the local church for the local church - just the job!"
-- Tim Chester
Pastor of Grace Church Boroughbridge, faculty member of Crosslands Training, and author of over 40 books

"This series brings pastoral wisdom for every day life in the church of Jesus Christ. Think of these short, practical books as the equivalent of a healthy breakfast, a sandwich and apple for lunch, and a family enjoying dinner together. The foundational theology is nutritious, and the practical applications will keep the body strong."
-- Dr. David Powlison
Executive Director of CCEF; senior editor, Journal of Biblical Counseling; author of Good and Angry: Redeeming Anger and Making All Things New: Restoring Joy to the Sexually Broken

"Most leaders don't need another abstract book on leadership; we need help with the "how-to's." And my friends in the Sojourn Network excel in this area. I've been well served by their practical ministry wisdom, and I know you will be too."
-- Bob Thune
Founding Pastor of Coram Deo Church, Omaha, NE, Author of "Gospel Eldership" and co-author of "The Gospel-Centered Life"


"I've sat in those elder meetings and wondered, How are we supposed to know what to do in this situation? In those cases we've looked to help from our friends in the Sojourn Network, whose experience, wisdom, zeal for the gospel, and love for the Lord has been a great encouragement. I'm thankful for this series because I know how many pastors and other church leaders will benefit from such biblically informed guidance on a host of topics."
-- Collin Hansen
Editorial Director, The Gospel Coalition

"I cannot express strong enough what a valuable resource this is for church planters, church planting teams and young churches. The topics that are addressed in these ebooks are so needed in young churches. I have been in ministry and missions for over 30 years and I learned a lot from reading. Very engaging and very practical!"
-- Larry McCrary
Co-Founder and Director of The Upstream Collective

"There are many aspects of pastoral ministry that aren't (and simply can't) be taught in seminary. Even further, many pastors simply don't have the benefit of a brotherhood of pastors that they can lean on to help them navigate topics such as building a healthy plurality of elders or working with artists in the church. I'm thankful for the men and women who labored to produce this series, which is both theologically-driven and practically-minded. The Sojourn Network "How-To" series is a great resource for pastors and church planters alike."
-- Jamaal Williams
Lead Pastor of Sojourn Midtown, Louisville, KY

[Adam · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a helpful little book for Small group leaders. Jeremy does an awesome job illustrating just how important small groups are in the life of the church (especially church plants), and providing helpful ways to keep your small groups maturing and missional-minded.

[Andy Huette · Rating 5 out of 5]

Linneman's work is not profound, but that's why it's so great. It's a clear, simple, solid resource to give a vision to church small groups/community groups/missional communities/whatever-you-call-them-groups that focuses on 1.) Word and Prayer, 2.) Community, and 3.) Hospitality, or making room for those outside the community of faith. Easy to read, very practical, we'll be using at our church as a resource.

[Ashley Chesnut · Rating 3 out of 5]

There’s good stuff in here for helping groups think about and prepare to multiply. The book is definitely geared more toward a church plant or a church starting out with small groups rather than a church with an existing small groups model. I did appreciate the emphasis on hospitality and relationships in the book. Not really saying much that’s new but good reminders

[Rod Innis · Rating 4 out of 5]

As I am involved in multiplying a cell group into two cells, I was quite interested in reading this book. I found that there were many good and helpful ideas. Some of the things talked about did not seem to fit our situation and were not really helpful but there will be some things that we can certainly use and we plan to do. Each of us involved in the process read the book.

[Dan B · Rating 3 out of 5]

One big takeaway is that a group can have these 3 legs and if one is missing, the group can be off:  Prayer & Word (gospel made personal), Fellowship (community), Hospitality (mission).  

Also, a group must be thinking multiplication from the start and in it's future.

[Tim Pollock · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perhaps the most practical book on small groups I've come across. Though the book is intended primarily for new church plants, it applies easily to established churches as well.

[Gabe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simple and wonderfully practical tool to help group leaders shepherd groups toward maturity and multiplication. I look forward to getting this in the hands of our leaders.

[Eric Huber · Rating 3 out of 5]

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[Joshua Bremerman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very short and easy to read. Can be a helpful book, but I don't think this is where I would start with new group leaders.

[Andrew Barrett · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m really happy with this book. Linneman offers concise, biblically/theologically grounded council for starting and maintaining a healthy network of community groups.

My one (TINY!) complaint is that much of the book is catered more to pastors of church plants. That’s hardly damning, but pastors who were hired at existing churches will have to tinker with some of the material to suit their contexts, particularly in the appendices at the end of the book (which, to be fair, the author acknowledges)