Why Small Groups? (Paperback)

~ C. J. Mahaney (Editor), Greg Somerville (Editor)

Product Details

• Paperback: 133 pages
• Publisher: Sovereign Grace Ministries (October 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1881039064
• ISBN-13: 978-1881039068
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #215,071 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars the heart of small groups, May 22, 2002

By	Mike Plewniak (Knoxville, Tn. United States) - See all my reviews

This book is biblically founded and helped me to see the importance(largely from the bible) of having small groups. Accountability, biblical fellowship, speaking into each other's lives is the heart of the church. While small groups cannot take the place of the local church, they are a great context in which to apply the truths we learn in church. I especially liked the part about qualifications of a leader and being motivated by God' grace. Overall, the best book ever written (theologically and practically) on the subject!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars teaching: accountability, application, service, fellowship, January 26, 1998

By A Customer

The premise of this book is that small groups are primarily for application of Christian teachings (rather than just listening to Bible studies). They should be a place where we have accountablility to one another, and have a chance to serve. At the same time, they should be more than just a place where we gather to exchange opinions about the Bible -- we are looking for God's truth, not just man's perceptions. In fact, I really liked this book up until page 59, where it bluntly stated that a small group leader had to be male. I do recognize that this is a valid Christian perspective, so I recommend the book even though I don't agree with the emphasis on this point.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Getting to the Point, February 28, 2007

By	Heather Zempel (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Why Small Groups? addresses a question that far too few pastors have considered: Why are we doing small groups? Many of us know how to do small groups; we understand, teach, and implement the mechanics. But why are we doing them? We need to take a big step back and try to understand the purpose we are trying to accomplish through them. In Why Small Groups?, Mahaney and fellow authors begin with the Biblical basis for small groups and the theological purpose for them.

Since the book is a collection of chapters written by individual authors, there is sometimes a lack of a cohesive strategy or model of small groups. For instance, one chapter assumes that small group members must be members of the church first while another chapter assumes a small group can be a front door for the church. In my opinion, that's not a big deal because it's not the how but the why that this book is addressing.

Some of the distinguishing characteristics between this book and many of the others that have been written on small groups include the following:

* It is written by practitioners- men who have come up through the ranks from small group member to pastors. They have seen small groups from every angle.

* It includes a thorough discussion of the doctrine of sanctification and how it relates to the purpose of small groups.

* It gives a clear Biblical and theological explanation of the relationship to and importance of small groups to the mission of the local church.

There's also a great chapter on Biblical confession, confrontation, and conflict within the group setting.

The Appendix "What It Means to Me?" by Walt Russell takes a hard look at the difficulties faced in small groups when different members bring their own opinions to the interpretation of the text. This very good essay helps leaders understand the difference between the meaning of the text and the significance of the text and how to make that distinction within the group setting.

Certainly, different traditions will find things to disagree with (male-only leadership, small group members must first be church members, etc), but the question that Mahaney is posing is one that we must address: Why are we doing small groups? What are we trying to accomplish?

Why Small Groups? addresses this important question in a clear, Biblical way.