Posts by Mark Howell
All Kinds of Groups Leads to a Church OF Groups
One of the key components of the church of groups conviction that it will take all kinds of groups to connect everyone. Conversely, one size doesn’t fit all. One type of group really won’t work for all of the people who are part of your congregation. And as we’ve talked about frequently, if you hope…
Read MoreCultivate Identity Before the HOST Ask
You never really know where the next idea will come from. If you’ve got your eyes open…they really can come from almost any source. My latest ideas come from Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard (Chip and Dan Heath’s most recent book). You really need a little set-up to catch this…
Read MoreTop 10 Posts for August 2010
In case you missed them, here are my top 10 posts for August (in descending order): Top 10 Fantasies of Churches with Small Groups (August 2010) 10 Essential Skills of Small Group Leader (June, 2010) How to Launch Groups Using a Small Group Connection (May 2008) New from Kerry and Chris Shook: Love at Last…
Read MoreWhat Everybody Knows Can Never Happen
When you carefully examine the likely scenarios for your organization…are there some things that get ruled out right away because everybody knows that that can never happen? Word to the wise? Be very careful that you don’t casually exclude some things because it’s common knowledge that those things can’t happen. Puzzled? Here’s a little to…
Read MoreStaying the Course Leads to a Church OF Groups
“We over-estimate what we can do in one year and we under-estimate what we can do in 20 years.” I remember hearing Rick Warren say this when Saddleback was about 10 years old and beginning to gather steam at their annual church growth seminar. He said it to contradict one of the most deadly fantasies…
Read MoreSkill Training: Help Your New Groups Have a Great First Meeting
You know what they say. “You only get one chance to make a good first impression.” If that’s true it makes a lot of sense to help your new groups have a great first meeting. Here are some key steps: Preparing for Your First Meeting Call your group members early in the week at a…
Read MoreDifferent Leads to a Church OF Groups
One of the greatest challenges facing a church that desires to become a church of groups is the notion that trying harder or simply tweaking what they’re doing is all that’s missing. In fact, that’s probably the #1 fantasy of church with groups. Why? Because trying harder or tweaking what you’re doing still leads to…
Read MoreTake Advantage of Testimony to Recruit Hosts
I’ve talked about this concept before (here and here), but it is so powerful I wanted to come back to it one more time. Whether you’re recruiting hosts or members there is almost nothing more powerful that personal testimony. In fact, it probably should have been one of the Top 10 Reasons Saddleback Has Connected…
Read MoreResource: The Complete Book of Questions
I had lunch yesterday with Gary Poole, the author of Seeker Small Groups, and re-familiarized myself with a neat little book I’d forgotten about. The Complete Book of Questions: 1001 Conversation Starters for Any Occasion is a pretty cool resource that’s great to have in your library. The 1001 conversation starters (questions) are broken down…
Read MoreYour Senior Pastor as Small Group Champion Leads to a Church of Groups
Some fantasies are just doggedly persistent. You know the kind. They don’t go away on their own and they are really hard to shake! One of the most persistent fantasies of churches with small groups is that the small group champion role can be delegated. What makes it a fantasy? Because it can’t be delegated!…
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