A Life Changed by a Group
Dr. Henry Cloud’s story is a powerful testimony to the kind of transformation that happens in small groups. During college, Henry had drifted away from faith and was struggling with depression and a deep sense of emptiness. One day, out of sheer desperation, he dusted off a long-ignored Bible and stumbled upon Matthew 6:33: “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” Those words sparked something. He didn’t fully believe it yet, but he was open. Curious. Maybe even hopeful.
He found himself in a chapel praying a risky prayer: “God, if you’re real, I’ll do whatever you say.” But when no lightning bolt came, no mystical voice, he left feeling both relieved and disappointed.
Then the phone rang.
A fraternity brother called him—out of the blue—to invite him to a Bible study. They weren’t close. The call itself felt oddly timely, almost like God whispering, “I’m here.” Henry went, hoping for a miracle. Instead, he met people. Real people. A couple named Bill and Julie welcomed him into their home. A small group became his new community.
Still lost and depressed, Henry asked Bill why God hadn’t zapped him into healing. The answer frustrated him: “God uses people too.” To Henry, that felt like a spiritual Plan B. The real deal would’ve been a dramatic encounter. But he kept showing up. He participated in small group life. And slowly—very slowly—God began changing him through the love, truth, care, and challenges of that group.
Over time, people helped him heal old wounds, face personal struggles, and develop relational maturity he didn’t even know he lacked. One day he woke up and realized: the depression was gone. His life had meaning. He was surrounded by community. He had joy again—perhaps for the first time.
At first, he still thought he’d been healed by Plan B. But one day while reading Ephesians 4:16, he saw it differently: “From him the whole body... grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.” The lightbulb came on. God had healed him through people. That was the miracle. That was Plan A. Henry Cloud reflects on his story with this learning:
As we have stated, Paul said the body has work to do if we are going to grow. It is work that only partly happens in a big cathedral-like room on a Sunday morning. Much of that work can’t happen in a big room with a lot of people at once. Much of it has to happen in a smaller setting, a more intimate, safer one. One of the best places for this work to happen is in a small group.
What I said earlier is very important. We need to elevate the small group process to more than just a “keeping up with the times” way of doing church. Many churches start small group ministries because they see that the churches that are growing have them; they are following the leaders. Many others do it because someone in the church carries the torch for it. Others do it for “special concerns” like recovery or divorce or other areas of focus where people need help.
But no matter why anyone does small groups, one thing should be clear. Small groups are not an add-on, secondary concern, or fad. What happens in a good small group is part of the very work of the church itself. It is primary, and should be seen that way. For what you are about to embark on, whether or not your church leadership feels the same way, hold your head high and know that God is very much for the process of his people getting together to help each other grow. It is part of Plan A.
So we want to begin with a new vision for small groups. They are not just culturally relevant for the postmodern world of reality and experienced truth. They are not just a way to be like the “cool” churches. They are not just for the “hurting” people. And they are not just an add-on program. They are a valid expression of what the body of Christ is supposed to be doing on the earth. They are a structured expression of the doctrine of the church. They are as big a part of what the New Testament dictates as preaching and teaching.
Dr. Cloud’s story mirrors what many of us have found: life doesn’t usually change in a single moment. It changes through people—through honest, loving, Spirit-filled relationships in community.