MarkHowellLive.com

I get questions almost every week about small group ministry.  Love getting them because they often become the basis for a really needed article or series.  Here’s a paraphrase of one I got this week:
“How do you handle childcare?  Not in the usual sense.  We’ve already made our groups responsible for their own childcare.  Our [...]

I’ve written quite a bit about the subject of building a small group ministry in a church with a Sunday School culture.  This is an important topic because it is where so many churches are.  A legacy program in a changing landscape.  And it’s a challenging situation.
That said, I want to talk today about some [...]

A great conversation yesterday drew an important question.  We’re getting ready for a church-wide campaign and know we’ll need coaches for our newest hosts.  Where can I find new coaches?
Ever asked that one?  It’s a good question.  Important on a couple levels.  First, it is important that your newest hosts have a coach who is [...]

I got a great question recently and knew you’d want to get in on the answer.  You might even want to suggest something different or argue with me.  Any way you slice it, this is a great topic.  Here’s the question:
What are five areas you believe every church body should be continually tweaking with their [...]

If the greatest fear that people have is public speaking…it only makes sense that many people will be hesitant to pray out loud.  Here are some ideas that I’ve found very helpful:

Distribute index cards and pens and ask each person to write out a simple one sentence prayer request.  Swap cards and read them aloud.
Ask [...]

Q: “What is the best way to close a group meeting in prayer?”
A: Great question!  There are several parts to my answer.  First, the entire meeting structure ought to vary according to the needs of the group’s members.  After all, new groups will be much less willing to share genuine needs.  Long-term groups may spend [...]

I recently got an email from Peter that asked, “What are the essential ingredients to making a great life group and how do I get them?”
That is a great question!  Let’s take an initial stab…and then open up shop for comments (or further questions) that you might have.
The essential ingredients to making a great life [...]

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 [...]

Great question this morning in my email inbox: 
I don’t know how to address the issue of alcohol that is being served
at small group meetings. Do you see alcohol consumption, in
moderation, as a problem at small groups?  I’m not coming at this from
a judgmental standpoint.  I don’ t have a problem with folks who wish
to [...]

We recruited HOSTS to open their homes for six weeks, serve a few refreshments and tell a few of their friends…but how does a HOST burn into a leader?  Isn’t that more than they signed up to do?
Ever asked that one?  It’s a great question and one being asked everywhere that the host idea is [...]