Posts by Mark Howell
Small Group Fraternity
Looking for a way to stay up on the latest small group ministry strategies? Take advantage of the Small Group Fraternity! What's the Small Group Fraternity about? Exposure to the best strategies and latest ideas in small group ministry Your whole team can participate Interviews with people like Carl George, Bill Donahue and Joe Myers…
Read MoreActivate: An Entirely New Approach to Small Groups
I originally reviewed Activate in 2008. Still a great resource, I think this is must-reading for small group pastors who want to understand how a semester system can work. Here’s my review: ———————– Looking for a soup-to-nuts primer on small group ministry? For most churches, Activate: An Entirely New Approach to Small Groups by Nelson…
Read MoreHow Important Is It To Have An Apprentice? (Part Two)
I began this discussion in an earlier post. You'll remember that I suggested that there is a question that precedes the one we're discussing here. If you haven't read part one, you should do that now and then come back. You back? Ok…now let's talk about whether apprenticing is important. First off, let's be honest. Apprenticing…
Read MoreHelp Your Groups Survive the Holidays
Few things are more deadly to a small group than a break in the action. Why? Because absence doesn’t always make the heart grow fonder, especially for a new group. Many times a break, for example from Thanksgiving through New Year’s, is just the ticket to destroy the growing sense of connection among group members. …
Read MoreSticky Church
Interested in developing sermon-based small groups? Sticky Church by Larry Osborne is packed with helpful insights. In addition to providing the nuts and bolts of how it works, Sticky Church carefully explains the underlying assumptions and principles North Coast has used to develop their sermon-based small group strategy. Finally, you’ll also find an appendix that…
Read MoreTake a Small Group Vacation!
Have you ever brainstormed potential small group leaders and run into the two-headed monster of leader recruitment? You may not know it by that name…but you know it when you see it. The first thing you notice is that the best candidates are already in a group. Right? You’re not alone in this realization. In…
Read MoreHow Important Is It To Have An Apprentice? (Part One)
One of the most commonly accepted truths of the small group movement is that every leader should have an apprentice. Many churches have practiced the idea that before you could start a new group you had to have a leader and an apprentice. Many churches measure the percentage of their groups that have an apprentice…
Read More5 Keys to Launching Small Groups Year-Round
One size rarely fits all. Oh, you might be able to force your foot into the shoe or fit your body into the t-shirt…but one size rarely fits all. And it’s the same with small group launching strategies. What works well in the fall might not work as well in January. What works off of…
Read MoreCentral Christian’s Small Group Pastor’s Blog
How’s that for an awkward headline? Familiar with Central Christian Church in Las Vegas? We’ve mentioned a couple of their church-wide campaigns here. They’re definitely onto some good ideas from a group standpoint. Tripped across a relatively new blog by Tracey Smith, one of Central’s small group pastors. Small Group Pastors might be an interesting one…
Read MoreYoda on Growth Groups
And the Oscar for Creative Use of a Star Wars theme goes to…Fusion Church Yoda Groups from Fusion Church on Vimeo. Thanks to Monday Morning Insight for the link!
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