Posts by Mark Howell
5 Simple Steps for a Mid-Semester Small Group Ministry Check-Up
No matter the system or strategy you use in your small group ministry, what you do right now determines a lot. For almost all of us, mid-October is the moment that determines whether your new groups continue to meet or just kind of fizzle and die. Harsh…I know. But whether you use a semester-based strategy,…
Read More8 Commitments for Small Group Leaders
Whether you use a low or high bar of small group leadership, I think all of us have hope that our leaders will do more than open their home, facilitate a discussion or convene a meeting. And…I think some of us have begun laying the foundation for a kind of leadership pathway. See also, Raising…
Read MoreTop 10 Posts of September, 2013
Miss a day? Here are my top 10 posts of September, 2013. Again last month there were 4 posts from the current month. Amazing when there are over 1100 articles to choose from! I also had visitors from 79 countries around the world! Thanks for stopping by! By the way, if you aren’t following me…
Read MoreDon’t Miss Pete Wilson’s Latest: Let Hope In
There are some books you hear about early and you just know they’re going to be very important. Pete Wilson’s newest is that kind of book. Let Hope In: 4 Choices That Will Change Your Life Forever is just about perfectly timed to have a very big impact (be sure and take a look at the…
Read MoreConnect with Your Neighbors This Fall: Top 10 Ideas for Small Groups
Important Note: As America shifts ever more to a post-Christian country, the invite to “meet me at my church” or “come with me to my church” will become less common and the invite to “come over to my house” or “meet me at Starbucks” will become more common. See also, Trending Now? “Come Over” vs…
Read MoreInsight: Identify and Overemphasize Your Most Catalytic Activities
I need to ask you two questions today: Which of your activities (or outcomes) make the greatest difference in your area of ministry? Which of your activities (or outcomes) have a disproportionate return…way bigger than the investment? I want you to take an hour today and think about these two questions. Don’t put this off.…
Read MoreTeacher, Leader, Shepherd, Host: What’s in a Name?
What do you call your small group leaders? Better yet, what do they do? Are they teachers…in any sense of the word? Leaders…where are they leading? Shepherds…in what way? Hosts…and nothing more? Seems that no matter where you turn there is discussion of some kind. Here’s Thom Rainer’s 8 Commitments for Bible Study Leaders (clearly takes…
Read MoreJoin My 2014 Small Group Ministry Coaching Network
Looking for an opportunity to grow in your ability to connect beyond usual suspects? I want to invite you to join my 2014 Small Group Ministry Coaching Network; an experience designed to give you the tools and strategies you need in order to build a small group ministry that works in the 21st century. The…
Read MoreDilbert on Problem Solving
I’ve said for years that since there is no problem free, wise leaders simply choose the set of problems they’d rather have. Dilbert has figured out an ingenious way to eliminate certain possible solutions.
Read MoreMust Have Resource: Influencer: The New Science of Leading Change
I don’t know if you caught Joseph Grenny’s session at Willow Creek’s Global Leadership Summit…but his book Influencer: The New Science of Leading Change ought to move straight to the top of your reading list. I was intrigued during Grenny’s talk. I downloaded the audio and listened to the session again right after the Summit.…
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