“Missional small groups are biblical only when they care for the oppressed AND evangelize.”
Too many groups have embraced social ministry that is void of the gospel. That is, they go and do the things Christ would do for the poverty stricken, emotionally sick, or financially forlorn. But they go and never mention Jesus. When a group does this, they are doing good without an eternal perspective.
But when a group meets a need of those who are struggling AND they bring Jesus into the conversation, that group may change the struggler’s present situation as well as his eternal existence.
Rick Howerton is the Small Groups and Discipleship Specialist at Lifeway Christian Resources. He has authored many small group studies, is a highly sought-after trainer and speaker, and is the author of Destination Community: Small Group Ministry Manual as well as A Different Kind of Tribe: Embracing the New Small Group Dynamic. He is also the co-author of Disciples Path: A Practical Guide to Disciple Making and Countdown: Launching and Leading Transformational Groups. But Rick’s deepest passion and his goal in life is to see “a biblical small group within walking distance of every person on the planet making disciples that make disciples.”
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