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The Complete Guide to Small Group Ministry: Saving the World Ten at a Time

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This book is a terrific "how to" guide for creating and nurturing small church groups that will in turn nurture their members. If you have questions about why small groups have not worked in your church, or started well, but couldn't maintain their momentum, this is the book for you.

Sometimes called "covenant groups," the small groups of this model have "covenant" as their cornerstone. Each group writes up a covenant for how they will conduct the group and how they will minister to each other, their church, and the larger community in which they live.

By following the basic structure given in this book, your small group can become a little community within your church, rather than just a casual gathering of people who may or may not show up. If your congregation has any fears about growing and losing the intimate feeling of their church, small groups such as the ones described are the answer.

In addition to giving step-by-step instructions for creating the groups, Rev. Hill provides many examples from covenant groups from all sizes of churches. The sample information at the back of the book (pamphlets, forms, training, etc.) are very helpful for getting your program up and running without having to start from scratch.

As someone involved in small group ministry, I have found this book indispensible. It incorporates the experiences of many who have been working in the vineyards and lays out in a clear and concise way how to organize and maintain small group ministry in a religious community. Great book!

If you are thinking about integrating small group ministry into the life of your congregation, this book is a must have. This volume is a wonderful survey of small group ministry in the Unitarian Universalist Association as of its printing. It describes the many ways congregations "do" small groups as well as points out key elements of all groups.

After a good start our small group lost some energy. We got copies of this book and read it--each of us involved in starting a new group. We became a group ourselves as we prepared to do small group ministry. It was an exhilerating experience. This a valuable and useful tool. It is nicely written. A pleasure to read. -W. Edward Harris, Indianapolis, In