Customer Reviews

Go Big With Small Groups: Eleven Steps To an Explosive Small Group Ministry

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I'm on a church staff and specifically work with our small groups, so I read several small group books every year, just to keep myself freshly informed and inspired about the potential for the ministry of groups. This is my least favorite of all of those books. The problems were legion, but I'll try to summarize some of my primary frustrations.

First, I found the attitude of the authors to be disappointing, touched by strokes of arrogance. They implied that no other practical books for leading small group ministries have ever been written. They implied that this book is all that anyone would need to develop a thriving small group ministry. Neither of these claims is even remotely true.

I always appreciate when authors have the humility to acknowledge that their particular model and experience might not naturally and universally translate into any other particular situation. Easum and Atkinson say as much, but they make regular statements to the direct contrary. With regularity, they state that if you do such and such, your small group ministry will completely collapse. And if you allow such and such to happen, chaos will ensue. But my own experience is proof that the absolute statements that they make are not universal.

I was particularly off-put by their statements about Bible study. We go to great length to communicate that our groups are not only about studying the Bible, as we have much broader expectations for group life. However, they actually state, "Asking small groups to read and do homework during the week will end up killing the group" (page 119). What? I've led countless groups that have undergone significant study, through reading books and doing homework, that have not only failed to kill our group but have been wonderful parts of a full group experience. To assume that all groups will have in-depth Bible study might be a stretch, but it's just as ludicrous to suggest that actually investing in studying the Bible together or reading a book together will kill the group. Talk about setting the bar low. We lead groups that are very intentionally welcoming to folks who are new to Christianity, the church, and group life, and we want our groups to be places primarily based around relationships, but I'm not interested in being part of a group that has such disinterest and distaste for learning together.

I was equally aghast at their attitude toward singles. Though they make statements to imply that they love singles, that entire chapter contradicted that claim. Instead, they spend several pages talking about what a problem and burden singles' groups are. I was completely flabbergasted by that chapter.

Finally, I found the writing style of this book to be very amateurish. I'm not expecting every book to be written on the level of Jonathan Edwards or Dietrich Bonhoeffer, but this one read more like a high-school newspaper than a guide for ministry in the church.

I gave this book more than one star because there are some solid nuggets wrapped in between the arrogance, poor writing, overly dogmatic statements, and downright offensive language. But the overall experience was extremely disappointing. If you want to read a simple guide for what small group ministry can look like, read Andy Stanley and Bill Willits' "Creating Community." And if you want to read a more in-depth analysis of how group ministries succeed or fail, check out Bill Donahue and Russ Robinson's "The Seven Deadly Sins of Small Group Ministry" or "Building a Church of Small Groups." I really can't recommend "Go Big with Small Groups" to anyone.

The introduction of Bill Easum's and John Atkinson's Go Big With Small Groups ends with this exhortation: "Our book is meant to be a guide, not a model. Don't copy us. Develop a process that will work in your setting." That makes me happy. I love learning from churches who know that their model won't necessarily work in every setting. So the reading began well.

This book starts by encouraging small group ministry leaders to ask the hard questions and begin with the end in mind. It is extremely practical, giving details about their own systems and structures at Bay Area Fellowship and offering step-by-step guidance for managing small group system, multiplying groups, finding and training leaders, and recruiting members for groups. It is written by practitioners, and that is abundantly clear. You don't get this kind of raw, honest, and practical information from theorists. This book challenged some of my assumptions and stretched me to think in new ways. I picked out some good ideas about changing our training and recruitment strategies.

Now to the hate part. I was a little disappointed in the authors' negativity towards singles groups and their encouragement to not provide childcare. I know they are writing from a place of their own experience, but perhaps they could have they could have tempered these statements by pointing to other churches who have taken a different approach and been successful. Also, they seemed to be anti- Bible Study, as though Bible Study and life transformation are mutually exclusive exercises. I definitely understand their concern with lifeless, academic pursuit of the Scriptures and spiritual growth, but their opposition to Bible study was a bit overboard. My last critique of the book relates to the changing tone and style. I'm sure that stems from the dual authorship, but it was a bit confusing as the text sometimes swung wildly between sarcasm, hyperbole, and solid information.

I recommend this book to churches that are starting or re-engineering their small group ministries. Don't copy their model, but learn from it. I also recommend it to small group pastors who want to remain an open system and learn from other churches. If you haven't read "Growing True Disciples" by Barna or "Building a Church of Small Groups" by Donahue and Robinson or "Creating Community" by Stanley and Willits, then read those first.

I have known John Atkinson for about two years now and I have to say he has changed my ministry. When I was at Skyline we grew by 50% on small groups...that was in a year time almost hitting 200 groups.

Now that I am at Parkway...smaller church of 700...the things I am applying in this book has allowed our ministry to grow from 20 groups to 32 in five months...that is with me moving settling in and getting started...amazing

If you have a ministry just starting or have over a hundred groups...this book will help you...this is knowledge from a guy who grew a ministry from almost nothing to close to 200 groups in two years...

Don't let this one slip away...

Are you looking for ways to grow disciples, increase service in your church, create amazing community, and have a HEALTHY church? This book is a must read. John Atkinson and Bill Easum have written an amazingly practical book about small group ministry. This book is outstanding because it is not simply the "why" about small group ministry, but the "how". All the questions you've had about launching, re-launching, organizing, and growing a small groups ministry are answered. It doesn't matter whether your small group ministry is non-existent or you have 500 groups, this book will benefit you. John shares from his succesess and failures. No holds barred. This is good stuff. I am a Senior Pastor and I have given a copy of this book to all of our staff, as well as all of our small group leaders.