Pastor Mike Wilkerson is one of the leaders for our Redemption Groups ministry. Along with Pastors Justin Holcomb and James Noriega, they’ve a unique approach to counseling and pastoral care (what is a Redemption Group?). Pastor Mike’s got a book coming out on the subject early next year, and this month 20 churches from 3 different countries will come to Mars Hill Church for the first ever Redemption Group Immersion. "I believe leading a Redemption Group is something caught more than taught," Mike says. "I think a leader needs to experience this kind of group in real life to get a feel for how to run one. That’s the big advantage of the Immersion—we’re throwing people into the deep end." I asked Mike what draws these churches and leaders to the Redemption Group model. He gave me six reasons:

1. It’s important to them that pastoral care is gospel-based—a number of ministries are replacing other models that have left them dissatisfied due to a lack of gospel richness.
2. They want something that’s designed for a local church, to be integrated into the whole life of the church, rather than being a long-term silo for certain parts of the congregation to live in and take their identity from.
3. The idea of mixed-issue groups (where someone dealing with an addiction to drugs may be in the same group as another who struggles with wounds of past abuse) is appealing to church leaders because it simplifies church program structures which might otherwise become very complicated and fragmented in trying to reach each separate issue-identified segment of the congregation.
4. People seem to like the simple idea of using Exodus, the Bible’s model for redemption and therefore the model for Redemption Groups, as the church’s model for redemption.
5. Because they’re interested in the ministries of Mars Hill in general, they are willing to try something that we have tested and found fruitful.
6. They want something at all—they are serious about helping people in real trouble.

How do Redemption Groups help people? "Participants often say that they get a fresh grasp on the gospel," Pastor Mike explains. "They come to know God’s love in new ways. They realize the grossness of their sin in new ways. They are broken free from shame. They learn how to keep traveling in life with the gospel continuing to change them." Redemption Group Immersion takes place next week (March 22–25). There’s still some space in the women’s groups, but the event is otherwise full. Visit the Redemption Groups on The Resurgence for news and resources.