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Building a Church of Small Groups: A Place Where Nobody Stands Alone (Paperback)

~ (Author), Russ Robinson (Author) "Ladies and gentlemen of the jury..." (more)
Key Phrases: small groups infrastructure, turbo groups, shepherding plan, Willow Creek, Holy Spirit, Bill Hybels (more...)

4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)

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Editorial Reviews

Product Description

This book provides pastors and church leaders with the vision, values, and initial steps necessary to begin building a church where small groups are integrated throughout the entire ministry.

From the Back Cover

Church Should Be the Last Place Where Anyone Stands Alone Our hearts were made for deep, authentic relationships. For community. And like nothing else, small groups provide the kind of life-giving community that builds and empowers the body of Christ and impacts the world. At Willow Creek Community Church, small groups are so important that they define the core organizational strategy. Willow Creek has gone from being a church with small groups to being a church of small groups. Sharing insights from that transition, its two chief architects tell how your church—whatever its size and circumstances—can become a place where people of all ages can experience powerful, transforming community. Part one presents the theological, sociological, and organizational underpinnings of small groups. You’ll discover why they are so vital to church health. Part two moves you from vision to practice. Part three shows you how to identify, recruit, train, and support group leaders. And part four helps you deal with the critical process of change as your church develops its small group ministry. “Bill Donahue and Russ Robinson have not just thought and read and talked about community. They have rolled up their sleeves and devoted their vocational lives to figuring out how to actually help make it happen with real-life people in a real-life church.” —John Ortberg, author, If You Want to Walk on Water, Get Out of the Boat

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Product Details

Paperback: 224 pages
Publisher: Zondervan (October 1, 2005)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0310267102
ISBN-13: 978-0310267102
Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.7 inches
Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)

Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)

Amazon.com Sales Rank: #298,766 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Inside This Book (learn more)
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First Sentence:
Ladies and gentlemen of the jury. Read the first page

Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
small groups infrastructure, turbo groups, shepherding plan, organizational evidence, small group life, pursuing community, small group leadership, theological evidence, small group ministry, small groups conference, theological case, healthy conflict, mutual ministry, open chair, seasoned leaders, biblical community, reluctant leaders, discipleship groups, sociological evidence, point leader, authentic relationships

Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Willow Creek, Holy Spirit, Bill Hybels, Jesus Christ, Carl George, Upper Room, First Wesleyan, Henri Nouwen, Spanish River, Christ Jesus, Faith Lutheran, First Pres, God's Word, Pantego Bible Church, The Worship Center, University Baptist, First Alliance, Jim Dethmer, Larry Clark, Michael Jordan, Zion Lutheran

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Citations (learn more)

This book cites 17 books:

In the Beginning (Abingdon's Great Big Books) by Judy Newman-St. John on page 29, page 31, and Back Matter
Prepare Your Church for the Future by Carl George on page 170, page 191, and page 211
Leading Life-Changing Small Groups by Bill Donahue on page 62, Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
In the Name of Jesus by Henri J.M. Nouwen in Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
The Safest Place On Earth by Larry Crabb on page 57, and Back Matter

See all 17 books this book cites

15 books cite this book:

Walking the Small Group Tightrope: Meeting the Challenges Every Group Faces by Bill Donahue on 4 pages
Creating Community: Five Keys to Building a Small Group Culture by Andy Stanley on page 40, and Back Matter
The Big Book on Small Groups by Jeffrey Arnold in Front Matter, and page 26
Seven Deadly Sins of Small Group Ministry, The by Bill Donahue in Front Matter, and Back Matter
An Ordinary Day with Jesus (Participant's Guide) by John Ortberg in Back Matter

See all 15 books citing this book

Books on Related Topics (learn more)

Courageous Leadership by Bill Hybels

Discusses:

Emotionally Healthy Church, The by Warren Bird

Discusses:

Leading Life-Changing Small Groups by Bill Donahue

Discusses:

Nine Keys to Effective Small Group Leadership by Warren Bird

Discusses:

What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

	70% buy the item featured on this page: Building a Church of Small Groups: A Place Where Nobody Stands Alone 4.8 out of 5 stars (6) $11.69
	9% buy Activate: An Entirely New Approach to Small Groups 4.9 out of 5 stars (13) $9.35
	8% buy Creating Community: Five Keys to Building a Small Group Culture 4.4 out of 5 stars (17) $13.59
	8% buy Leading Life-Changing Small Groups 4.3 out of 5 stars (6) $11.55

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Customer Reviews

6 Reviews

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4.8 out of 5 stars (6 customer reviews)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Developmental Principles, November 25, 2003

By	Colin Ovenell (Clarks Summit, PA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Building a Church of Small Groups (Hardcover)

The authors, Donahue and Robinson, have placed a superb community-building resource into the hands of the reader. This is not just another book about theory on the one hand or experience on the other. It is a book that provides the groundwork for a proper understanding of the implementation and growth of a community-based philosophy of ministry.

Whether or not the reader is in agreement with the Willow Creek philosophy of ministry or not this book has great value. The principles are expressed in a manner that is not context specific. In other words I can use the principles of community-building, leadership training, etc. in a variety of contexts and apply them successfully.

The authors acknowledge throughout the pages of the book that "simply copying a model is ill-fated (191)." This honest approach to small groups is what seems to be lacking in a number of similar resources. Donahue and Robinson face the readers with real-life examples displaying the diversity of methods used by churches across the nation to develop leadership and conduct small groups in accordance with biblical community.

"Building a Church of Small Groups," is an excellent resource for any pastor or lay-leader interested in understanding small group dynamics from a balanced philosophical and practical perspective.

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16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Everything you need to start a small group ministry, July 24, 2003

By	David T. Wayne "aka The 'JollyBlogger'" (Glen Burnie, MD United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Building a Church of Small Groups (Hardcover)

In the title to this review I said that it contains everything you need to start a small group ministry. By that, I don't mean to say that this book is the last word on small groups, nor do I mean to say that it has everything you will need to maintain and grow a small group ministry.

However, for those churches that are contemplating beginning small groups in their churches, I can't think of a better resource. The authors cover all the bases. The section titles of the book are:

Part 1 - Making the Case for Community
Part 2 - Pursuing Community in Small Groups
Part 3 - Developing Leaders of Small Groups
Part 4 - Leading a Church of Small Groups

These sections provide the rationale for small groups and the basic mechanics of launching and maintaining small groups. I particularly like the practical emphasis of the book. It gives you help on building relationships, resolving conflict, and shepherding small groups. Among other things, it encourages you to have "open" groups with an "empty chair" to emphasize the outreach aspect of small group life.

It covers all aspects of leadership training - although it doesn't give you an exact curriculum it gives you a process for leadership training. The authors focus more on apprenticeship and what one could call "on the job training" for leadership development than classroom training.

The section on "Leading a Church of Small Groups" is especially helpful. You don't just decide one day to "do small groups." Launching takes time and is best done in steps, phasing in over time.

Overall, I would highly recommend this book to anyone who wants a good, thorough overview of what small groups can be and do in a church.

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5.0 out of 5 stars Great book!, November 18, 2009

By	Brian Lewis (Oklahoma, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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This is a great book, a must read for pastors of churches with small groups or small group leaders!

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars A Call to Arms
This book details the journey and challenges of becoming a church that centers its ministry around the concept of small groups. Read more

Published 1 month ago by T. Sullivan

5.0 out of 5 stars Great follow up to "The 7 Deadly Sins of Small Group Ministry"
As a new youth pastor here in the Inland Empire area of Southern California, resourcing with our local churches has proven to be most beneficial regarding the adaptation of small... Read more

Published 2 months ago by Joel Martinez

5.0 out of 5 stars Great So Far
We are in the early stages of small group development. I'm order this for all my existing small group leaders to us to help us formulate and understand the necessity and vision... Read more

Published on November 18, 2001 by Michael Lopp

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