How can churches handle the growing needs for counseling? How can a pastor build a vital, interactive community ? How can he or she effectively disciple and equip throughout the church?

James R. Tozer, pastor of Covenant Presbyterian Church, West Lafayette, Indiana, experimented in various ways to answer those questions. He certainly didn't find instant answers-but with a lot of prayer and patience, he's developed groups that have become the beating heart of his church.

Obviously, Covenant Presbyterian is not the only model for effective small groups. There are many variations, and we hope to explore some of them in the future. But there are enough common principles and excellent advice here for anyone to give it a thorough reading.

A Quick Lesson

(( S mall groups will produce cliques." "My religion is private." "I sure don't want to sit around listening to people air their emotions."

These were some of the remarks provoked by my first attempt at initiating the ministry style of small group ...