I find this post a bit scary. I know that if I say it is unbalanced you can respond by saying it is not saying community is not important, but making sure balance is maintained. At the same time there are statements that contradict and demonstrate a lack of understanding as to what the balance is. For example:

-  <i>”Christians are bound together in a new society of those who belong to Christ, and we are being transformed by him. The distinguishing mark of Christian disciples is love, as we share in genuine community with honesty, unity, forgiveness and good deeds. We wait for heaven, the perfect community where all enemies of loving relationship are crushed under the feet of the risen Lord.”</i> Then later the post says. <i>”If community is the goal, the small group has become the end, rather than the means.”</i> How is having the goal to be community a problem when this is actually a part of the goal God has worked out for us? Is not the New Jerusalem a city built of people? Are there not many rooms in our Father’s house? The ultimate goal is community, as God’s people together with God.

-  <i>”The purpose of the group can easily focus on the development of human relationships… The vertical axis is not emphasized as much as the horizontal axis.”</i> The post moves from saying what groups can “easily focus” on to making a statement as to what DOES happen. The article does this several times. The truth the author does not appear to grasp (along with Mr Packer) is that the vertical and horizontal axis are not completely separate. Hence, when we do something to the least of these, we do it to Jesus. How we relate to each other is directly linked to how we relate to God. After all, we love because he first loved us (1 John 4:19).

-  <i>”Look at what happens in Weight Watchers, AA groups, special interest groups and social clubs. They all provide a sense of genuine community. The problem in many Christian small groups is that they are no longer distinctively Christian.”</i> The fellowship of believers in Acts was distinctively Christian, as are the one another passages of the NT (e.g. bear one another’s burdens, pray for one another, confess your sins to one another…). Sadly sometimes secular/non-Christian groups do it better than we do. This is not a reason to stop though!

-  <i>”The formation of community is often not rooted in the gospel of Jesus’ death for sinners. Small groups can draw together on a multitude of bases—personal needs, political agenda, stage of life, interests and so on.”</i> I thought the Gospel does relate to all areas of life (Col 3:17).

-  <i>”They become highly introverted, focusing on their own needs. If community is the aim, the ideal group is open, accepting and affirming—a haven for broken, alienated lives.”</i> I am confused. Does the community focus on THEIR own needs, or do THEY focus on the needs of the group, so that they are open, accepting and affirming to EACH OTHER?

•  <i>”Christian groups are not primarily about helping people with their problems. You probably can’t believe you just read that! It sounds positively unchristian. But it is true. The focus of Christian groups is growth, not problems.”</i> You are right…I can’t believe I read that! So dealing with problems together, using the foundation of the Gospel is not growth?

The article raised some important points we should be aware of, but (even in it’s complete form) has been very unbalanced and biased in the way it has presented them.