IDEAS THAT WORK
John W. Setzer, Jr. and John Wimmer
January 1, 1991
(c) 1986 Christian Century Foundation, Reprinted by permission. A summer reading group!-what a great idea! I thought as I took out a legal pad. Reasons for introducing such a group fairly gushed from my ballpoint: parish-sponsored growth opportunities for adults had been scarce during the past year; some church school teachers might want to participate; I would enjoy the stimulation of give-and-take discussion without the burden of being leader; reading groups had worked well in other parishes; it would be a chance to do some church-sanctioned light reading without feeling guilty for avoiding theological tomes. I recalled that John Stott had told a seminary community some years earlier how useful he'd found a reading group. He said he had made it a point to have several recent university graduates present. They kept him up to date on what was in vogue on campus-books, he said, he otherwise would not have known about, much less read. Surely, I reasoned, the fact that I remember Stott's recommendation is the Spirit's attestation to inaugurate a reading group. Through the monthly newsletter and the weekly bulletin, I spread the word: "Anyone who can read is welcome." The new group would meet in the church parlor (a comfy room designed to assist young brides and their attendants in getting as ready as one can for what is to follow). We decided to meet every other week for a total of six sessions. No one would be taxed, and there would be fallow time to assimilate the material. In summer who wants to get in a hurry about anything? Silly me, I fancifully imagined the group would delight in one of the armload of "lites" I lugged to the first meeting. Looking back, I think there were just too many well-educated people there: a college professor; ...
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