Why small groups?

Tonight in our church small group we are beginning a study of the book Why Small Groups?, put out by Sovereign Grace Ministries. In the beginning of the book, C.J. Mahaney shares an insightful illustration of why small groups often fail:

Using the relationship of Sherlock Holmes and his sidekick Dr. Watson, Mahaney quotes Holmes' famous line, 'You see, but you do not observe.' Watson had seen the steps that led up from the hall to the room they were standing in. He had seen the steps several hundred times. But when Holmes asked the simple question, 'How many steps are there?', Watson didn't have a clue.

Mahaney concludes:

Sherlock Holmes cared. Observation was a critical tool of his trade. It's critical for us as well as we examine the subject of small groups. You see, too many of us view small groups the way Watson viewed the staircase. We see but we don't observe. We attend a group without understanding its real purpose. We fail to understand why our small group exists.

I think this is a wise, accurate, and sad assessment. Too many people join small groups because they are told it's an important thing to do. But they aren't told why it's important, and they have never thought about it themselves. I know I've been guilty of that myself. As a result, attitudes toward the small group often become indifferent once the initial excitement of a new endeavor wears off. The group stagnates, and eventually dies a slow and painful death.

Having studied Scripture, I am convinced that small groups are in invaluable component of life in the Church. So I am eager to go through the study to see what fruit it bears in my own life and the life of our group.