North Point’s Small Group System

Important Note: Every day a few dedicated small group ministry champions (staff and volunteers) find this post. Can I be honest? I hope this blog post (written in 2009) gives you an idea or two. My real hope? I hope you’ll subscribe to MarkHowellLive.com so you can get the latest in small group ministry strategies,…

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Got Plans Saturday? Join the Group Life Action!

Saturday morning at locations across North America some 8500 group leaders will gather for encouragement, training and challenge.  This Changes Everything, the Willow Creek Association’s 2009 Group Life conference kicks off at 9:30 a.m. (Eastern and Mountain), 8:30 a.m. (Central and Pacific). It’s not too late to jump in!  You can find a location right…

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The Connecting Church

The Connecting Church by Randy Frazee is based on a core idea that there is more room for life when you simplify or streamline your small group relationships to center on the people who live near you.  In fact, Frazee’s followup to The Connecting Church, Making Room For Life, is even more centered on that…

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Church-Wide Campaign-Driven Small Groups

When comparing small group ministry strategies and systems there are some fundamental questions to consider. What are the requirements to be a leader? What does a new member commit to? How will you care for the leaders? How does a new group begin? What materials can be used? One of the most effective small group…

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How to Choose a Small Group System or Strategy

What is the best way to do small group ministry? Is it better to use a free-market approach? Does a sermon-based group strategy make sense in a seeker-sensitive church? Can we kind of do a mash-up of several strategies and come up with one that really works for our community and our congregation? These are…

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Semester Based Groups

Semester-based groups is a strategy that has growing popularity due to books like Activate: An Entirely New Approach to Small Groups by Nelson Searcy and Kerrick Thomas.  Essentially, semester-based is a strategy designed to take advantage of three well-timed opportunities to help people connect with a group. Semester-based is also a strategy that is used…

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Listen Listen Listen (Autotune Andy)

You know I’m a big fan of Andy Stanley.  Easily one of my favorite speakers and writers.  This being Friday, I think you’ll enjoy this one.  If you’re really cool…and you were at Catalyst…then you’ve probably already seen it.  Since I wasn’t there (and aren’t really cool) I saw it on Wednesday…and a hundred times…

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Find Out the Latest on the LifeGroup Journey at LifeChurch.TV

One of the coolest parts of what I get to do is interview game-changing small group innovators and thought leaders from some of the best of group land. We had a great call today with Jeff Galley, Central Team Leader for LifeGroups/LifeMissions at LifeChurch.tv. As you can imagine, there are very few dull moments around…

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Listen in to the Small Group Fraternity

One of the coolest parts of what I get to do is interview game-changing small group innovators and thought leaders from some of the best of group land. We had a great call today with Jeff Galley, Central Team Leader for LifeGroups/LifeMissions at LifeChurch.tv. As you can imagine, there are very few dull moments around…

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The Meta Church Small Group Model

You’ve probably heard of the meta church small group model.  It’s long held a kind of buzz word status in small group land.  The truth is there’s a good chance that you’re already using elements of it without even knowing it.  In fact, when you pick up a book like Creating Community or Building a…

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