When a customer tells me they want to move into group rides, I always ask them "What are the people in the group riding?" If one plans on riding with a fast road group, a cross/gravel bike will work, but may need some modifications in gearing and tires/wheels.
If the group is a gravel grinding group, then a cross/gravel bike is appropriate.
I also let them know that a jack of all trades machine will do it all, but won't do any of it at peak levels of performance. There are compromises made with gearing, wheels and tires.
Back in my racing days a guy named Brandon did training rides with us on his Stumpjumper. He changed out the wheels and tires and was unusually strong. Once the speed went past the 25mph mark he would fade back as the gearing wasn't quite high enough. The bike worked well for most things, but only excelled off road. Compromises.