I am travelling to Australia and New Zealand as I write this. The hunger for community here is intense. As new forms of church appear on the scene - like house churches and missional communities -- the need for group life intensifies. Virtually every emerging church I have read about or talked with employs groups in some form. It is essential to the disciplines of study, prayer, meal-sharing and serving that these communities thrive upon.

A few church leaders here in Christchurch, NZ remark that there are a lot of churches, and new plants springing up all the time. But many fizzle or are absorbed into other groups. It seems like those that are event and Sunday morning based do not thrive like the ones where a vibrant group life exists.

Well, I am off to speak about what it means to be shaped by community.