Ed Stetzer on why groups matter

Groups matter—a lot.

In the midst of a thousand discussions—from being missional, to the value of preaching, to how we make better disciples—we can’t forget the importance of groups in transformation.

Neither of us is in full-time local church ministry now. We serve the church by providing research and resources. Yet both of us are intimately involved in small-group life because we know groups matter.

I (Ed) serve as lead pastor of a church I planted a couple of years ago. Since my full-time job is president of LifeWay Research, I volunteer as lead pastor of Grace Church. We have a couple of full-time staff and a team of other volunteers.

I can do only a few things as a volunteer lead pastor. I preach and lead the staff—both of those are givens. But then I have to make a choice of what else I can do.

I could counsel, teach more, lead men’s ministry, start something new, or a million other different things (many of which a full-time pastor would do). But I have to choose, and I choose leading a Life Group every Sunday night.

You see, I’m convinced that you can’t lead what you do not live. So I am a pastor, but I am a small-group leader. Actually our group multiplied two weeks ago as of this writing, so I am a multiplying small-group leader.