Eugene Peterson, known for his work on The Message, was asked to speak to the question of why everyone should consider being in a small group. His response, profoundly expresses the power of community:

“We learn best when we’re learning with others. A small group is the perfect setup for discussion. Truth is ambiguous. It’s not clear. If you want to absolutely clear language you have to use mathematics. That’s the only absolutely clear language we have. Everything else is subject to tone, inflection, context and relationship between people. A group is where you can work out those ambiguities through discussion. The way you get the gospel is to forgive someone, help someone, build a relationship with someone. It has relationship in it. That takes practice. It goes beyond just knowing something.”