MarkHowellLive.com

One of the most important strategic decisions a church can make is to narrow the focus, a concept that is explained very well in the 7 Practices of an Effective Church.  Essentially, to narrow the focus is to concentrate on one thing (or a very few things) in an effort to conceive, develop and promote [...]

If you’ve been part of the conversation here for any length of time, you know that I’m a big believer in the power of a church-wide campaign to launch groups.  In fact, I believe it is the best way to launch new groups.  That said, here are what I think are my top 10 articles [...]

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 [...]

I’m regularly asked how Saddleback can have more adults in groups than they have in worship.  People everywhere scoff when they hear the numbers.  And I have to admit, it is pretty wild.  After all, during Life’s Healing Choices, their most recent church-wide campaign, they had over 4,500 groups with over 35,000 people in them [...]

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 [...]

How can we start some new groups?  We have 14 (or 34, 78, or 103) and we’re stuck on how to add new groups.  What’s the best way to do it?  What are some ways that we’re not thinking of? This is a very frequent question.  And it’s a good one because it’s rooted in [...]

How will your hosts add members to their groups?  After you’ve chosen the church-wide campaign you will use and recruited hosts, determining how you will recruit members is a very big decision.  Along with the first two questions, this one has a lot to do with how effectively your campaign reaches into the crowd.  It [...]

Looking for a sample message that casts vision for life in community?  You can download the audio of a great example by John Ortberg right here.  Here’s a link to the transcript. Given in preparation for Menlo Park’s 40 Days of Purpose experience in 2004, this message provides a look at how Ortberg encouraged a [...]

What are the secret ingredients of a message that recruits HOSTs?  Maybe that begs a question.  Maybe we should start by asking this question: “Are there certain ingredients that make HOST recruitment easier or more likely?”  What do you think?  Think there are ingredients that make it easier to recruit HOSTs? I’ve found that there [...]

Inspired by the Grammy Award winning song recorded by Tim McGraw, and developed by a group of incredible church-wide campaign experts, Live Like You Were Dying offers a great experience for your congregation. Designed to help your congregation wrestle with how to live life to the fullest, this church-wide campaign has everything you need to [...]