Agenda-Driven Groups

Let's talk about how institutional religion often uses the small group setting as another way to promote itself by making the group agenda-driven and insisting that the agenda remains at the heart of the group. Whether it's to review Sunday's sermon, have an institutionally-sanctioned Bible study or book study, or to discuss the institution's doctrinal statement, institutionally-imposed rules governing our time together are at the heart of the group meeting. Getting to that agenda each week is the real reason we're allowed to meet and everything else that happens during our time together is an add-on. The simplicity of just living life together and enjoying it, gets lost in this kind of environment. Let's talk...