You would think that someone who heads a church of 3500 small groups would have written a book much sooner than this year and written it as if you should follow what they did. Well Steve Gladen doesn’t seem to be come across as some ministry guru’s do – for which I am glad! Small Groups with Purpose was written by Gladen to help churches think through their small group ministry strategy. Over the years he has been asked some frequently asked questions – and that’s how he has sorted the content. Questions such as: What is a healthy and balanced small group?, What does that look like? What are the steps? How does this fit the larger church strategy? And finally – Do I have what it takes? These are questions that most small group point leaders are asking or will ask. One of the strengths of the book are the many excellent self-assessment questions he uses to end each chapter. Throughout the book - he continually goes to the principles and values he believes are the foundation to Saddleback’s success with small groups. Gladen illustrates these not with just the stories of success, but also the learnings from failures. Some portions of the book can be read like a “case study” which I find to be very helpful to my own learnings.

You may not agree with the model of small group ministry that Saddleback has developed – I know I have difficulty in some areas – however the majority of the content does deal with principles and values that need to be evident in every small group ministry. Saddleback has determined they will be clear about theirs. Most churches continue to struggle to form their own. Reading and processing through Small Groups with Purpose will move your church closer to clarity and action. Like similar books, it would be worth reading through this book with at least one other ministry partner. A book with ideas you can't ignore!