A friend mentioned this book in conversation before I started reading it and gave it a rave review. He shared how timely this book was and how it used real data to bring some insight into running small groups well. For me, the book took a little while to get going but once it kicked in, it was full of helpful questions and suggestions to shape your small group ministry. While I read it on my own, I think this would be a valuable resource for a small groups team to use and work through together.

Leading a small group? Check out this quick and practical guide on leading and serving as a small group leader. This ideas in this book are practical and relevant to help someone step into the leadership of a small group.

This book is a great resource. It's unlike so many of the resources available on small groups ministry and small groups leadership, which always seem to want to give you a five-step plan and a step-by-step guide that turns your passion for leading others into deeper love for Christ into some kind of administrative process and just...sucks all of the life out of it.

What is particularly helpful about this book is the focus on the things the leader should be doing to be 'less' of a leader - to create a culture in a small group that isn't dependent upon a single person for its continuation. The number one challenge of small group leaders is burn-out and it's because of all of these programs that try to tell you that leaders have to do everything themselves. True leaders, however, help others to do for each other and learn to connect and form teams and become leaders in their own right. The chapter on self-care for small group leaders is absolutely essential and spot-on; over and over again in my talks with small group leaders, this is something they struggle with, neglect, or feel guilty about - and they shouldn't.

The depth of research is good. Knowing that these insights are coming from actual small groups in actual churches is a good starting point. I would have liked to see more definitions of terms when the research is cited - saying something like what encourages the most "spiritual growth" is a vague term. How is spiritual growth measured? Some of these definitions are available, but they aren't provided in-text, which makes a very conversational book turn into a research manual at times, and that interrupts the flow a bit. But at least it's captivating enough to bring me back into the text itself.

I have already recommended this resource to my church leadership and to some small group leaders that I know, particularly the ones who struggle with self-care and with having too much of the group on their own shoulders.

This is an excellent book thoroughly laying out the groundwork on not only the how's of small groups, but the WHYs. Why they're important and vital to the Christian life. Great book.

Excellent book with a refreshing perspective on small groups and their importance not only to the Church but to culture itself. I highly recommend it and will be recommending it to my pastor for the small group leaders in our church.

I love how this book focuses on numbers: you know, start small and build that community, and grow from there.
Reading about catalytic leadership and faith, and it's amazing that while reading this book- it dawned on me as a Facilitator that we often love having focus group discussions of members up to 12. Some can go beyond this, but twelve is a good number to moderate and funny how Jesus also had 12 disciples- He could have picked many but he chose just 12.
I am digressing, what I love about this book is that each chapter is full of insights and at the end you get points to reflect on, to read more about and act upon.
Thanks Netgalley for the eARC.