Posts by Mark Howell
Don’t Miss This Exciting Pilot Program for The Gospel Project
One of the most interesting projects going in small group curriculum is The Gospel Project. With Ed Stetzer as General Editor and Trevin Wax as Managing Editor, there is a commitment to some very high standards. At the same time, the advisory council for this project is quite a group. Matt Chandler, James MacDonald, and…
Read MoreBirds and Bees: A Conversation about God, Sex and Sexuality
Took a look this weekend at Birds and Bees: A Conversation about God, Sex and Sexuality, a new study from Threads (LifeWay’s young adult line of curriculum). The study was written by Gregg Matte, senior pastor of Houston’s First Baptist Church and founder of Breakaway Ministries at Texas A&M University, one of the largest weekly…
Read MorePurpose First, Strategy Second, Structure Third
What comes first? Strategy or structure? According to Peter Drucker it’s a no brainer. “Only a clear definition of the mission (purpose) makes possible clear and realistic business objectives. It is the foundation for priorities, strategies, plans and work assignments…Structure follows strategy. Strategy determines what the key activities are in a given business. And strategy…
Read MoreDreaming of More for the Next Generation: An Eye-Opening Approach for Family Ministry
While it might seem more than a little outside my usual content area, I found a lot to really love in Dreaming of More for the Next Generation: Lifetime Faith Ignited by Family Ministry. New from Michelle Anthony, RockHarbor Church’s Family Ministry Architect, Dreaming of More grabbed my attention from the first few pages. One…
Read MoreTake a Look at LifeChurch.tv’s Free Small Group Resources
I reviewed LifeChurch.tv’s Open Source small group material back in 2009. I thought it was great then, but if you haven’t stopped by their new site, resources.lifechurch.tv, you are missing out on an interesting development! After a recent post on another innovative curriculum solution, I got an email from Libby Myrin, a member of the…
Read MoreSmall Group Host* Responsibilities
What do you expect of the HOSTs you recruit for a church-wide campaign? Have you set the bar too high? Have you set the bar too low? Bottom line…do you even have expectations? See also, Leader Qualification: Raising the Bar, Lowering the Bar, or Open Bar? I can’t tell you where you should set the…
Read MoreTop 10 Posts of August, 2012
Miss a few days this summer? Here are my top 10 posts of August, 2012. Two themes were obvious right away. First, 6 of the top 10 were from 2008 and 2009. Amazing how often the archives are read! Second, for the first month in recent memory none of the top 10 posts were curriculum…
Read MoreSmall Group Leader Responsibilities
What do you expect of the leaders in your small group ministry? Are your expectations in writing? How do you communicate them? Here’s the latest version of a form I’ve used for many years. I call the form the Small Group Leader Purpose and Responsibilities. I’m sure that Carl George and Brett Eastman played a…
Read MoreQuotebook: Perspective
One of my favorite quotes, so packed with insight, is that “perspective is worth 80 IQ points.” Coined by the brilliant Alan Kay, this quote reminds us that smarter is directly related to perspective or point-of-view. I like to say, don’t be surprised that you never see a better way of doing something if you…
Read MoreA Tale of Two Hosts
What you say when you’re recruiting hosts (small group leaders) has everything to do with who says “yes.” Ever wrestled with that realization? It’s true, you know. What you say and how you say it absolutely determines who says “yes” to opening their home for six weeks, serving a few simple snacks, and telling a…
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