Soul-Shaping Small Groups: A Refreshing Approach for Exasperated Leaders - Softcover

"In this book you will find not just theory but the kind of 'roll-up-your-sleeves-let's-get-it-done' wisdom that real-life small group leaders desperately need. Whether you lead that movement in the church, or lead a single small group, or are a small group member, or are thinking about grouping--this book is the real deal."--from the foreword by John Ortberg, pastor of Menlo Park Presbyterian Church, and author of The Me I Want to Be

"This excellent small group primer is a valuable resource for pastors and small gorup leaders or members. The exercises that comprise one quarter of Soul are reason enough to have this book, as they provide concrete examples that are very useful for leaders."--John Bernstein, CBA Retailers Resources, June 2010

Do you sometimes have to force yourself to attend the meetings (even the meetings you lead!)? Do you wonder if small groups are doing anything for your spiritual growth? Kim Engelmann, a pastor and small group leader, describes how she felt about one small group she attended:

`It is Thursday evening---small group night. I...hesitate before getting out of the car. Do I really want to do this? I am not the sort of person that likes week-night meetings. I am tired from a long day's work, but I push my car door open and crunch on up the gravel driveway...

I convince myself that this is for my own good. I tell myself that I ought to be grateful that I live in a free country where small groups that talk about Jesus and the Bible are allowed. But I am not grateful, not one little bit.

Things went from bad to worse that night when Kim found out the coffee being served was decaffeinated. And it pushed her to ask herself a hard question about groups: Is it small groups that are the problem or the way we do small groups?

In this book she shares her answers, offering a new format for groups that gives authentic spiritual community a chance. She challenges the compartmentalization of Bible study, prayer and even fun (only laugh during icebreaker time!), and offers creative, practical suggestions that can serve to integrate these aspects into an experiential framework.

Whether you are a pastor, a group leader or a member, if you find yourself dragging when it's time for small group, then this is the book for you.

"In this book you will find not just theory but the kind of `roll-up-your-sleeves-let's-get-it-done' wisdom that real-life small group leaders desperately need."

From the foreword by John Oriberg, author of The Me I Want to Be