Inspiring Connection

Real-life practices that will transform your groups....

Senior ministers, small group pastors, and lay leaders often struggle to sustain healthy small groups because the groups suffer a fatal flaw-they do not provide authentic community. With its singular focus on the relational aspect of groups, this book brings to life what people are yearning for in a group, what keeps them coming back, and what causes them to leave. Applied in any ministry, it is a practicum in how to organize a program, train facilitators and conduct meetings-all in a way that spawns genuine connection.

The core prerequisite for authentic group life is building relationships upon one central, life-giving organizing principle: "Everyone belongs, everyone matters, everyone is a contribution." This book details how honoring these values influenced the development of practices for three different types of small groups. The practices which cultivate authentic community are reproducible and transferable to any existing or new small group, from bible study groups to conventional task groups and church committees.