Tim Keller Doesn’t Want to Hear about it if You are Hospitalized, but not in a Small Group

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In March 2013, Dr. Timothy Keller spoke at the Faith Angle Forum.  I tried to find info on this event, but could only find cached websites.   Here is an excerpt from the cached site describing Ethics and Public Policy Center‘s (EPPC) Faith Angle Forum:

EPPC’s Faith Angle Forum, directed by EPPC Vice President Michael Cromartie, aims to strengthen reporting and commentary on how religious believers, religious convictions, and religiously grounded moral arguments affect American politics and public life. Since 1999, the Faith Angle Forum has brought together a select group of nationally respected journalists and distinguished scholars for in-depth discussions of some of the most crucial issues facing our nation. Twice a year, in South Beach, Miami, the Faith Angle Forum holds a two-day conference to discuss these issues in a serious fashion, miles removed from Washington’s ideological battlefields. In addition, the Faith Angle Forum runs an annual series of conferences for young journalists from media outlets around the country. (Taken from cached site.)

Below is an excerpt of the transcription of the presentation by Keller.   Again, the website was removed and so this is from a cached site.  I’ve included a little bit more than the video includes so you can get the context.  The video is only 34 seconds long.

Before this talk on small groups, Keller is speaking about Christian communities.  The quoted material in green font is what you hear on the video.

Thirdly –

MR. CROMARTIE: Mention your point about small groups.

DR. KELLER: What about them?

MR. CROMARTIE: What you said the other night, that –

DR. KELLER: Oh, yeah.

MR. CROMARTIE: Go ahead.

DR. KELLER: Yeah. I mean, for example, we have 6,000 people coming, but we have about 3,000 people in small groups. If a person goes in the hospital, the group goes to see them, tells the pastor about them, tells me. So what I have said to people is I said, “If you come to my church and you’re not in a small group, and you go in the hospital and nobody knows about it, don’t be surprised.”

(Laughter.)

I said, “Unless you put yourself not just in this massive church community but in a small community, you are not going to be on our radar. And I’m warning you right now, if you are not in one of those small groups, I don’t want to hear it if I don’t hear about it.” So, anyway, there’s ways of doing it.

I have a lot to say about small groups, but I want to hear from you.  Sound off!

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Edited to add:  I noticed that the above transcribed words from the cached website are slightly different from what I transcribed.  Here is my transcription which matches up with the video:

We have 6,000 people coming, but we have and about 3,000 people in small groups. If a person goes in the hospital, the group goes to see them, tells the pastor over them, tells me.

So what I have said to people is I said, “If you come to my church and you’re not in a small group, and you go in the hospital and nobody knows about it, I don’t want to hear it.  I don’t want to hear it.”

I said, “Unless you put yourself not just in this church community massive, but in a small community, you’re not going to be on our radar.  And I’m warning you right now if you’re not in one of those things, I don’t want to hear it if I don’t hear about it.”