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Small Groups With Purpose

By Steve Gladen

Steve Gladen, pastor of small groups at Saddleback Church, has composed a “go-to” guide for small group ministry in Small Groups With Purpose: How to Create Healthy Communities. Gladen is responsible for giving pastoral oversight to over 3,000 small groups that span five Southern California counties. He wrote this new book out of a desire to help resource churches of all sizes for small group ministry.

Practical experiences pack the pages and include biblical principles about people doing life together in small groups. These examples cover honest challenges that face all of us involved in some way with small group ministry.

The volume features 18 chapters that may be read in specific groupings per topic or as stand-alone selections. Each chapter concludes with reflection questions based on the topic discussed in the chapter.

Gladen explores five topics related to small group life and ministry:

• The section called “What Is a Healthy and Balanced Small Group?” explores biblical foundations for small groups and gives practical examples of those foundations in action against the backdrop of Saddleback Church’s own ministry.

• “What Does This Look Like?” delves further into small group life and encourages the reader to cultivate a clearly defined vision for small group ministry at his or her own church.

• “Step-by-Step, How Can I Do This?” talks about, among other things, a successful strategy for recruiting and training leaders.

• “What Does This Mean?” walks the reader through practical applications of small group life within a church, such as exploring the reality of small groups and/or Sunday school ministries, and increasing the connection and assimilation of people into small groups.

• “Do I Have What it Takes?” speaks to having a teachable and balanced approach to small group ministry.

Small Groups With Purpose is a useful text on many levels for the church. For lead pastors, small group pastors, point people, small group leaders and hosts, this book is a practical guide offering a biblical approach to small group ministry.

Reviewed by: Callie Campbell, ministry operations pastor at Living Way (Michigan City Foursquare Church) in Michigan City, Ind.