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“What if I’ve got a coach that really isn’t a good fit for the job?”  That was one of the questions I was asked in a recent survey here at MarkHowellLive.  Another question was, “We need more leaders!  How can I encourage more of our congregation to step up and lead a group?”
I want to [...]

What are the keys to sustaining the groups you launch?  Although there are many variables, I’ve found there are two that are often missed…and they are both easy to build in to every group in your system.  What are they?  Multiple facilitators and multiple locations (The idea for this article came from a survey I’m [...]

There is a reason that an annual physical is recommended.  Although we may show up for the physical with some concerns, a thorough physical examination will sometimes identify developments that we did not sense already.  In much the same way, an annual diagnosis of your small group ministry is a good idea.
I’ve already identified several [...]

One of the most important steps in diagnosing your small group ministry is to accurately assess the health of your coaching system.  Much like your physical body, having a respiratory system is essential…but it has to be a working respiratory system.  Here are what I think are the most important diagnosis questions about coaches:

Have you [...]

Once you’ve gathered the basic information about the groups in your system, it’s time to find out a little more, to look more closely at the leaders themselves.  And as I mentioned in the first article in this series, there is a purpose to this step.  From your diagnosis you’ll learn a lot about how [...]

As I mentioned yesterday, the first step in the diagnosis of your small group ministry is a thorough examination of your existing groups. Depending on the number of groups in your system (and whether you’re new on the scene), this may be an easy job or may take you some time. It’s important [...]

Finding enough leaders is a challenge.  With the strategies I mentioned in Small Group Leaders: Finding, Recruiting, Developing, you’ll find the leaders you need.  What you do with them next is very important.  Here are some of the most important nuts and bolts of successful leader recruitment:

Determine your leadership requirements in advance.  It may help [...]

One of the most pressing challenges in developing a pervasive groups ministry is finding enough leaders.  It may be the #1 challenge (just ahead of finding enough coaches).  Let me say two things.  First, it is a challenge.  Second, your success will be determined by the answer to a few questions.  Here they are:

Are you [...]

One of the most common questions in small group ministry is how do I find enough leaders? Right on it’s heels are two other very common questions:

How do I recruit leaders (once I’ve identified them)?
How do I develop leaders (once they’ve been recruited)?

(All three of these questions were well represented in my recent survey on [...]

Do you have what it takes to be really effective at small group ministry?  Like anything else there are a number of ingredients to this kind of effectiveness.  I really think you’ve got to be a learner.  You can be an introvert but it really helps to be a relational person.  After all, it’s important [...]