Posts by Mark Howell
Building a Discipling Culture: a Must Have Resource
I’ve been looking forward to working my way through Building a Discipling Culture by Mike Breen and Steve Cockram. If you read my review of Launching Missional Communities or my 5 part interview with Mike Breen, you know that if anyone has a handle on making disciples in the post-Christian culture of the west, it is Breen and…
Read MoreDilbert on Anticipating Problems
Sometimes you just need a laugh:
Read MoreThe Signature of Mediocrity
“Small groups just don’t work here,” they said. When I asked them what they meant they described a history of flipping from one small group strategy to another, year after year, caught up in the enthusiasm of this conference or that new book. Sound familiar? Can you identify? The looming challenge for many is that…
Read MoreA Willingness to Honestly Look at Results
If you’ve been along for any length of time, you know that there is no problem-free solution, system, or strategy. Every solution, system or strategy comes with a set of problems. Wise leaders simply choose the set of problems they’d rather have. Equally, if you’ve been along for any length of time, you know that…
Read MoreThe Illusion of Knowledge
Think you have it figured out? What if it turned out that the very thing you thought was a fact…was actually more or less an old wive’s tale? I’ve always loved this line by a former Librarian of Congress: “The greatest obstacle to discovery is not ignorance – it is the illusion of knowledge.” Daniel…
Read MoreReview: Being Countercultural…a New DVD-Driven Study
Next in the line of DVD-driven studies from Gabe Lyons and Q Group Studies is Being Countercultural: Restoring Our Identity in a Changing Society. I think this is an essential study and series if you’re interested in connecting the widening 60% that will never be reached by the attractional model. Being Countercultural is a five…
Read MoreJoin Us for GroupLife Midwest 2012
Looking for a fantastic small group leader training opportunity? I want to invite you to join us for GroupLife Midwest 2012: Staging Ground for the Leadership Expedition! February 3 & 4, 2012 at Parkview Christian Church in Orland Park, Illinois (southwest Chicago). We’ve lined up a great speaker (Steve Gladen, Small Group Pastor at Saddleback)…
Read MoreJoin My 2012 Small Group Ministry Coaching Network (2 Spots Left)
I’ve still got a couple open spots. If you’re looking for an opportunity to grow in your ability to connect beyond usual suspects, I want to invite you to join my 2012 Small Group Ministry Coaching Network; an experience designed to give you the tools and strategies you need in order to build a small group…
Read MoreEd’s Story: A Film Series about Hope
My first encounter with Ed Dobson was in 1993 when I read Starting a Seeker Sensitive Service. Pastor Emeritus of Calvary Church in Grand Rapids, you may have run across Dobson in his 2009 book, The Year of Living Like Jesus: My Journey of Discovering What Jesus Would Really Do. My most recent encounter with…
Read MoreTop 10 Posts of December, 2011
December is always a little different than other months. There’s some planning going on. There’s an effort to review the latest small group curriculum for first of the year studies. And then, there’s the Christmas Reading list. Here are my top 10 posts this month: New from Beth Moore | James: Mercy Triumphs Victory in…
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