Andy Stanley: why small groups don’t work at most churches

Andy spells this out in his excellent book, Creating Community: Five Keys to Building a Small Group Culture:

Whenever I talk to senior pastors about their small-group ministries, I always ask about their personal small-group experience. The majority of the time—and I mean the vast majority of the time—it turns out that the pastor is not actively participating in a group. At that point I say something rude. I think it is hypocritical for a pastor to champion something he isn’t willing to participate in himself. Meanwhile, the small-groups director is standing there giving me imaginary high fives. He or she knows what many senior pastors don’t: Groups don’t really impact a local church until they become part of a church’s culture. And that begins with senior leadership.

Creating Community: Five Keys to Building a Small Group Culture by Andy Stanley, Bill Willits

Available on Amazon.