Missional Small Group: Becoming a Community that Makes a Difference in the World
M. Scott Boren
Baker Books, 2010, 192 pages, $16.99
Small groups can range from watch-the-DVD-and-answer-questions to play-games-and-have-fun to let’s-talk-theology, but rare is the group that is intentional about perpetual renewal through relational revision and missional recreation. In Missional Small Groups, M. Scott Boren seeks to change the world by making this latter kind of group much less of a rarity.
Boren sets out to help readers understand the rhythms that typify missional groups. Whether you already have a group that you would like to see become missional or would like to create a new one, his explanation of the fundamentals and his description of common missional practices are edifying.
The most helpful aspect of this book are the 21 practices that it explains, describes and applies to small group life. For example, in the practice of Developing a Primary Group, Boren directs groups to use repetitive face-to-face contact and circle overlap, which he explains elsewhere in the book. Boren is quick to point out that these practices are nothing new; however, his book is original in that it applies them to missional small groups.
For the youth worker desiring to make something more out of a group ministry, this volume will be a very helpful source of ideas and inspiration.
