MarkHowellLive.com

When NASA prepares for a shuttle launch, there are certain steps that are a given.  There is a sequence to what they do.  When anything unexpected happens during the launch preparation (mechanical issues, weather change, etc.) it isn’t unusual for NASA to restart the sequence. In much the same way, when you’re preparing for a [...]

How are you shaped (or wired…depending on your philosophy of ministry!)?  Are you a planner?  A detail oriented, think ahead kind of person?  Or are you more of a last minute, play-it-by-ear, scrambler?  It’s okay either way.  There’s not a right shape.  It’s just that pulling off a church-wide campaign is the kind of activity [...]

Do your members even know their neighbors?  Do you know your neighbors?  Why not take the first step this summer and begin or deepen relationships with the folks on your street?  It’s not hard, they rarely bite, it honors God, and exponential outreach depends on connections beyond the circle. Here are our 10 best ideas.  [...]

Many effective strategies are multi-component strategies.  That is, there are multiple essential components to the strategy and effectiveness and impact are a result of these components working together.  HOST, often used in conjunction with launching a church-wide campaign, is an example of a multi-component strategy. Remember that in the HOST strategy, the “T” stands for [...]

While there are some key steps to launching a church-wide campaign that lead to greater participation, higher  follow-through, broader community interaction, and deeper values integration…there are also some devastating missteps that cause campaigns to miss the mark.  Here are my top 10: Selecting a topic that doesn’t engage the crowd, from the hard end of [...]

The Easter Experience, from City On A Hill Productions, is a new church-wide study from the folks that produced H2O.  With host and teacher Kyle Idleman, The Easter Experience includes a six session DVD-driven small group study that coordinates with a six weekend message series–designed to conclude with Good Friday and Easter. The DVD-driven small [...]

Have you finalized plans for the fall ministry season yet?  It’s definitely time to zero in on where things are going!  Much like the way NASA has a scientifically defined window of opportunity for Space Shuttle launches (or landings), there are many factors that determine the success of a church-wide campaign and many of them [...]

What is the most powerful way to impact your entire congregation?  Many believe that a church-wide campaign, what Rick Warren refers to as a spiritual growth emphasis,  is the most important spiritual innovation in the last 50 years…maybe the last century.  Why?  Read on. Although there are very basic church-wide campaigns that simply offer a [...]

When you think about Heaven…what comes to mind?  For most of us, even those of us who have been walking with Christ a long time, Heaven is a only a very vague concept.  Is it a real place?  Will there be clouds?  Will we have wings, play harps and walk on streets of gold?  Will [...]

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 [...]