Posts by Mark Howell
Jeff Gibson on How Central’s (AZ) Small Group Strategy Has Changed
Hearing about the latest innovations in small group ministry is one of my absolute favorite things. Another one is sharing those things with you! One of the fastest growing churches in the country is Central Christian Church in Arizona. Jeff Gibson is the Life Groups Pastor there. Here’s his take on how their groups strategy…
Read MoreA Sense of Who You Are
One of the things each of us needs is an accurate sense of who we are. This is essential. First, our appraisal needs to be accurate. This is where 360 degree evaluations come in. This is where Marcus Buckingham’s strengths assessment or the one in Stand Out (Buckingham’s new, even more powerful, assessment) come in.…
Read MoreDistinctives of the Three Types of Small Group Connecting Events
While every church has its own names for the three main types of small group connecting events (I’ll also tell you about a twist that I’ve found interesting and effective), there are certain key distinctives that set them apart. I think it’s important to make these distinctions because sometimes people will tell me they’ve already…
Read MoreDilbert on Change
I thought this was perfect on the day after my article on 5 Assumptions That Stunt Small Group Ministry Growth:
Read More5 Assumptions That Stunt Small Group Ministry Growth
King Solomon said “there is nothing new under the sun.” I’ve been at this a long time and am convinced he had stumbled on a true truth of life. That said, it follows that there are certain assumptions that come up over and over again and lead to a dead end every time. Here are…
Read MoreThe Life You’ve Always Wanted: a DVD-Driven Curriculum from Zondervan
Although for many of us, John Ortberg’s best-seller, The Life You’ve Always Wanted, might be shelved neatly in betweeen If You Want to Walk on the Water You’ve Got to Get out of the Boat and The Me I Want to Be…I’m thinking it might really be begging for a second look…as a church-wide campaign.…
Read MoreStaying Spiritually Vibrant | New Simple Leader Tip from Bill Search
Love this simple encouragement from my friend Bill Search, Small Group Pastor at Southeast Christian Church and author of Simple Small Groups. If you like this one, you’ll find a lot of great content right here. Can’t see the video? Click here.
Read MoreTop 10 Posts of November, 2011
In case you missed them, here are my most popular posts for October, 2011. Along with my top 10 posts, I also included two pages that had a lot of action: the details on my small group ministry coaching network and the notes and a link to the audio from my live interview with the…
Read MoreThree December Keys to January Impact
I’ve mentioned previously that there are three key opportunities every year to launch new groups. If you’re reading this on November 30th, you’re about 60 days away from the second best opportunity. And there are several things you can do right now to optimize the impact of a late January launch. First, pull out your…
Read MoreQ Studies: Advancing the Common Good
Advancing the Common Good, the latest in the Q Studies series from Zondervan, wrestles with the big idea that the role of Jesus’ followers is not simply to announce his message of redemption and restoration to the world, but to live out that message for the world. Advancing the Common Good is a five session…
Read More