Book Review: Gather us In

Information about the book

Gather Us In: Leading Transformational Small Groups by Angela D. Schaffner.  Upper Room Books. Nashville, TN.  2020.  Amazon

Summary

From Amazon: This comprehensive guide to leading small groups provides eight strategies for leading transformative small groups, dispels common myths about leading groups, and helps readers understand how groups work and the life stages of a group. The author suggests practical ways to lead groups effectively, using examples from scripture of how Jesus worked to transform people spiritually and emotionally.

Impressions

I had invited a pastor in our conference to join the CLM class for an evening to speak about small groups. I often use an interview format for those guest speakers, so I needed to provide him with the questions I would ask. I had no idea what kind of questions to ask, so I did what I usually do and found a book to read.

This book was OK, although not outstanding.  I felt like the advice was particularly targeted towards those who needed advice regarding how to run a group that feels like a therapy group. There's nothing wrong with that, of course, but it did slant the book in a particular direction. I think this book could be one of many to provide resources for a person leading a group, and it would give good advice. That said, I think the person leading the group or starting a small group ministry would benefit from a variety of sources - not just this one.

In a future post, I'll provide a list of resources our guest speaker suggested.