Customer Reviews

Missional Small Groups: Becoming a Community That Makes a Difference in the World (Allelon Missional Series)

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Scott Boren describes four basic kinds of small groups found in churches today because they tell a story about those who comprises them:

* The Story of Personal Involvement
* The Story of Lifestyle Adjustment
* The Story of Relational Revision
* The Story of Missional Re-creation

I won't go into all the details as to what each one means and steal the author's thunder. But I will comment with this: most small group ministries in American churches attract folks with the top two stories and hope the groups will naturally follow the story of the third and then the fourth, which will not happen by giving the groups service or outreach projects or evangelism tasks.

The book goes on to describe small-step practices that can move a group from one story to the next in a way that is more value-driven than task oriented.

This is an important book for lead pastors and small group pastors who see their small groups as far more than a key to member retention, but don't know how to walk the small group members into a much deeper expression where missional activities happen naturally (although not easily because missional living is consistently sacrificial).

A word to readers: don't skim it or just read the first ten pages and set it aside because you're a few pages into a bunch of other books that you should finish first. This book actually has the answers to some of the deepest small group questions you have in your heart, but you may not have ever thought of in your head. Prioritize the finishing of this book when you sit down to read it.

By the way, this book is much easier to read than some of the author's other excellent, yet deeper and theological books such as The Relational Way. I found it to be a page-turner and the content is easily understood the first time I read it.

As a pastor of a small, rural church, I've been looking for a book that would put "missional" and "small groups" together. The small groups I have been a part of and led in the past have been focused on either Bible study or mutual support, and any talk about mission or service was merely lip service. So I was eager to hear how small groups could be done differently.

Boren's vision challenged me and my understanding of groups. He suggests something much deeper than a programmed, one-night-a-week gathering. He describes a rhythmn of small group life that is more like family life, a sharing of life and activities together. The missional aspect of this is that this sharing of life is not done exclusively with small group members but is expanded to include neighbors, friends, etc. It is a very organic model of small groups and one that may not be easy for everyone to implement, but my guess is that the rewards will be that much greater. (Reading back over this paragraph, I need to say that this vision of small groups is very much God-centered. It is small group life caught up into the life of God.)

The nice thing is that the "theory" behind these missional small groups is relatively short: 65 pages or so. The remaining 100 pages help with concrete practices for missional small groups and an appendix to help you get started step-by-step.

Even if you are sure Boren's vision for small groups isn't for you or your church (and his ideas cannot be described adequately in a short review), take the time to read this book. It will challenge you and help you dream of a way of being the people of God that is deeper and richer than what's usualy described - and experienced.

I came to this book having read several others along with articles and other publications that address the topic of small groups. While I have been aware of some of the elements mentioned in the book, I never understood them within the framework provided by the author. This book challenges the common assumptions concerning the nature and purpose of small groups. The biggest assumption is that small groups comprise a "program" or "ministry" of the local church alongside other similar "programs" or "ministries" such as the Children's Program, the Youth Ministry, or the Christian Education Department. We tend to think about small groups with a mindset of segregation rather than integration. One result is that small groups become just another menu item offered to people whose plates are already filled to capacity (or beyond).

Throughout the book the author uses the language of music to convey his essential message: We have been listening to and playing along with a particular "rhythm" of life and perhaps it's time for us to learn a new one. Since music is often used to tell a story, Boren refers to four different "stories" of group life. He suggests a progression toward what he calls "missional re-creation." This is where "the gospel comes to life and the rhythms of the kingdom begin to create something spontaneous, unexpected, and unpredictable (p. 44)."

The entire book, but especially Part Two, is designed to be read and discussed along with a small group of like-minded believers. In the second half we are provided with glimpses of what the "spontaneous, unexpected, and unpredictable" way of living may look like. First, three rhythms are identified: Missional Communion, Missional Relating, and Missional Engagement. Then, Boren discusses twenty-one different practices (seven for each rhythm) that will not appear earth-shattering or even new. These practices are common to the experience of most genuine Christians, yet most of us have not lived them out in the missional context. To facilitate reflection and discussion, space is provided at the end of each practice. The author encourages us to respond to each practice by answering these three questions: "What is God saying to me...?" "What does this mean for my life?" "What impact does this have on the way we do small group?" The end of the book includes an appendix that lays out a 13-step process that a group can adopt to determine how to start practicing their new rhythms together.

A picture comes to my mind when I reflect on the impact of this book upon my life. It is the picture of the Incarnation. God the Son coming into our world to live among us in order that we might experience His message of truth, hope, and redemption. This book captures that essence for us as Christ's ambassadors. We are called to live as a community in our world and live among the lost that they may experience the same truth, hope, and redemption.

Having been a small group pastor for the past nine years, and having just completed a doctorate in missional leadership - I have definitely read my fair share of literature on both group life and the missional church. Scott Boren's newest work, Missional Small Groups, breaks new ground by bringing together - in both an artful and strategic manner - these two themes. Boren's purpose through his book is to guide us on a journey of reframing our, "imagination about what small groups are and can be." Specifically, he points to a way of experiencing life together (as a group) that engages our neighborhoods and communities - in order to make a lasting difference.

Using the metaphor of rhythm, Boren skillfully makes a case that to be a missional small group requires an intimate dance between three rhythms: the rhythm of missional communion with God, the rhythm of missional relating as a group, and the rhythm of missional engagement with the neighborhood. In each of these areas Boren provides practices that will help groups embody - as a group (and this is one of the strengths of his book) - the kingdom values in each rhythm. Furthermore, Boren rightly recasts and reorients all rhythms and practices under the missional nature of the church. For example, how do we as a small group worship and study God's word together in such a way that we are propelled towards greater, more visible missional engagement in our neighborhoods and communities.

Missional Small Groups is a much needed move away from the pre-packaged and commodified small group plans/programs that have been frequently espoused over the past couple of decades through books and conferences. Boren rightly returns the role of missional imagination and creativity to the people of God, and provides the necessary guidance to cultivate and act upon such imagination. If you are serious about recalibrating small groups around missional impact - I strongly encourage you to get a copy of this book ... you will not be disappointed!

Our Journey group decided to read Scott Boren's book, but we became sidetracked along the way. As a consequence, I am writing this short summary to catch folks up on the more important ideas contained in it. If you cannot find the time to read the book, at least read this. Hopefully we will all be able to "stay on the same page." Pun intended.

If you are like me and have done all sorts of small groups over the years, maybe you are not too interested in another book on the subject. This one, however, is a little different. Boren attempts to get us to the life source of a small group, rather than simply hand us another set of principles to help us be successful when we gather. He writes about small groups not necessarily being the "focus; they were simply a mechanism for carrying the kingdom of God to this world." (p.19) If we make small groups the "end all," they will always fall short of our expectations. Again he wrote that he longed for a hidden "rhythm" that would permeate how we live that would enable us to reach those who have no interest in attending church. (p.20) This is what we, too, are looking for as we journey together towards missional and incarnational living. "Instead of doing groups for he sake of experiencing community, groups experience community for the sake of participating in God's redemption of creation." (p.23)

Boren agrees with Alan Roxburgh that one of our most important tasks is to become good listeners and conversationalists with those who live around us. He names three topics about which we in the church need to discuss. The first one is about the need for God's people to live as missionaries in our own land. The United States is becoming increasingly post-Christian and post-modern in its thinking. Unless we come to terms with that, we are in danger of becoming marginalized and ineffective. The second conversation topic revolves around what it means to be the church and how we must live incarnationally so that we are good advertisements for God's kingdom. This requires commitment, communion, community, and commission. The third topic is about God, the gospel, and what God is doing in the world. (pp.24-25)

Boren defines being missional as "putting love where it is not." (p.34) He says we must "learn to be relational in the way we interact with one another and in our neighborhoods." (p.34) I would add we must become missional in whatever "context" we find ourselves, whether it be our neighborhood, workplace, school, civic club, sports team, and so on. God has strategically placed us where we can influence people toward God. "Being relational and being missional are intricately connected. We cannot divide the two. The church has nothing to offer the world if it does not embody the message of Good News that it aims to share." (p.35) This is what it means to be "incarnational."

The author points out that small groups usually revolve around one of four stories - personal improvement, lifestyle adjustment, relational revision, and missional re-creation. I found the chapter about "Listening to Your Small Group Story" very interesting and realize now that in the past we never really got past the lifestyle adjustment group.

The personal improvement group is all about meeting with other Christians only a fairly regular basis that is convenient in order to do short-term Bible and topical studies and to share with one another a little about what is going on in our lives. The result is a fledgling sense of community and a perception that the quality of our lives improving. (p.39)

Lifestyle adjustment groups require a greater commitment to making coming together a priority. A greater level of belonging results, too, as members spend more time together, do social events as a group, and learn to take care of one another. It is Boren's contention that most church small groups in America are in this category. People learn to adjust their lives away from the influences and pull of the predominant culture. (p.40)

The third type of group is the relational revision group. In Boren's words, the most important part of this "group, however, is not the meetings; it is how we are connected the other six days...And this connectedness usually spills out into the neighborhood." (p.41) In this kind of group, the members are intentionally learning to do life together differently, that is, the kingdom of God way. This type of group chooses to make the presence of Christ central. (p.42) This type of group is something to which to aspire, but it is not the most missional expression.

The last type of group Boren describes is devoted to missional recreation. This kind of group may move into and adopt a neighborhood, bringing non-Christians into the community dynamic. Creativity and flexibility are paramount, since no two groups of this type will look alike. The are able to adapt to the needs of the environment in which they minister. It is all about seeing what God wants to do in a neighborhood and together stepping up to the challenge. (p.43)

If you think about it, a good group actually embodies elements of from all four types. I do not believe that groups can just start out at the missional recreation stage. We have to work our way there by learning to love each other, by spending time together, and by keeping focused on God's call to be sent out. Becoming a truly missional small group is more of a journey than a destination. (p.48) But, lest anyone think the transition will be easy or pain free, Boren warns, "There is a Jordan River that divides Improvement and Adjustment from Revision and Recreation." (P.51) God takes us on a journey through the desert of frustration and emptiness to create in us a hunger that motivates us to cross over into greater fruitfulness that comes from becoming part of God's incarnational mission to those who do not yet know Jesus.

Pastors must understand that people will not change or embrace the new paradigm simply by listening to sermons on the topic. We have a need to see God's kingdom life modeled. Church leaders and those who have already caught the vision must live out what it means to be missional and incarnational and invite others into the experience. This journey into the missional experience will be filled with experiments. We must be willing to try things in order to learn what works and what does not. We must be willing to take risks and depend on the Holy Spirit. We must ask God to use us to reach and love people.

The second part of Boren's book is devoted to "Practice." Just how do we get from where we are now to where we want to go or, rather, where God wants us to go? "Being missional is about who we are, not just what we do. Therefore missional life is not simply about the body of Christ having hands and feet so we do something for the world. Living missionally depends on how we relate to God and how we relate to one another as much as how we relate to those outside the church." (p.63) Christianity requires community if it is going to be modeled correctly. We learn to live and love as Christ would have us do and we invite others into the experience. "The way we pray, the way we experience God, the way we interact with each other, and the way we deal with conflict is just as missional as anything we might do for those outside the church." (p.63)

Boren argues that "community is actually the context in which we do the [spiritual] disciplines. Spiritual formation is not something I do alone and then contribute to the community." (p.64)

He identifies three rhythms of missional life that are broken down into practices that groups can adopt. The three rhythms are Communion - the practice of God's presence, Relating - the practice of agape, and Engagement - the practice of interacting with the neighborhood. (pp.62-63)

The final chapter describes the character of the person who will be leading these groups. All in all, the book provides a philosophical framework for understanding mission and some practical things to do to help a group get there.

Purchase the reviewer's book on Amazon.
Seeing God's Smile

A good book to help you to understand how the church needs to change to help the world. Easy to read and understand. Good for a group study.