Leading Small Groups That Thrive: Five Shifts to Take Your Group to the Next Level

Nearly every church is trying to help their congregants build relationships with others, grow as disciples, and/or engage in meaningful service through small groups. Many have argued that these small groups are the preferred vehicle for relationship building, disciple making, and membership assimilation in the local church, especially in large, multisite churches.

Leading Small Groups That Thrive shows small group leaders, step by step, how to plan for, launch, build, sustain, and multiply highly effective, transformational, healthy small group experiences where people grow spiritually together. Based on a large-scale research study of small group pastors, leaders, and members, Leading Small Groups That Thrive gives church leaders both what they want--practical, straightforward, actual small group member voices and experiences, and compelling guidance on how to build transformational groups complemented with real-life examples and data of successful small groups--and what they need--substantial, challenging insights and a data-driven model grounded in the latest research on church small groups.

Dr. Ryan T. Hartwig is Dean of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences and Professor of Communication at Colorado Christian University, where he teaches group, organizational, and leadership communication courses. His engaged research centers on teamwork, group facilitation, and collaboration, particularly in the church. His first book Teams That Thrive (InterVarsity Press, 2015) was named Outreach Magazine's Leadership Resource of the Year and won the 2015 Readers' Choice Award from InterVarsity Press. Find Ryan at ryanhartwig.com or on Twitter at @rthartwig.