Community: Taking your small group off life support, by Brad House

Brad House works at Mars Hill Church in Seattle where he is responsible for community groups for their multi-campus church. As such he has lots of background in regards to leading small groups, growing small groups and helping church maintain healthy growing small groups.

This particular book addresses much of what Brad has learned over the years that gives him the info needed to help communicate to others how to get their community small groups off of life support. In many churches across American small groups have become an institution, a way of life, how accountability is done. Unfortunately they often become comfortable and drift away from the solid Biblical Base from which they were formed and the accountability they should be bringing to their participants. Instead they become a comfortable family who don't rock each others boats.

But community groups need to be the life blood of the church. That means they should be bringing good teaching, allowing good growth and holding Christians accountable for their walk with Christ and their walk with each other.

The line that is used often is that we need to get our small groups off of life support and into authentic community. So, what is authentic Community? That is what you will discover as you read through this good work.The book is broken up into Three Parts;

Part one: The Foundation : Building Blocks for Life
Part two: Health Plan: Redefining Community Groups
Part three: Treatment: Effecting Change in Your Groups

The Appendix has many useful tools to help you plan groups, plan had to infiltrate neighborhoods and and get good growth and replication going.

The three parts obviously talk about the main focus of Community Groups and the building blocks necessary. You have to have a good foundation to build upon. That is what has happened in lots of churches, good foundations, but then lack of execution.

The Health Plan goes through the redefining process, defining what the groups our, defining neighborhood and rhythms and structure. It gives you a good diagnose for what needs to happen.

Then finally part three gives you the structure for starting change in your groups to bring them back to health.

The book is well thought out and well written. There will be information that you will be able to immediately put to use.

Even if your small community groups are doing well this book will provide a good tune-up for them to give some more ideas and help to keep them on track.

All churches and Pastors who have small community groups should take a look at this book and keep it close at hand to provide good guidance for the programs that you start.

Enjoy!