Posts by Mark Howell
Kirby Holmes on Gateway’s Crowded House Strategy
One of the most important current grouplife trends is the missional community. I began noticing blog posts and tweets about Gateway Church’s Crowded House strategy recently and wondered what that was about and if it was a version of missional community. I asked Kirby Holmes for the scoop and here’s what he had to say:…
Read MoreCheck Out These GroupLife Resources
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Read MoreTodd Engstrom on Austin Stone’s Missional Move (part 3)
Todd Engstrom is the Pastor of Missional Communities at Austin Stone and this is part three of a three part interview. You can read part one right here. Anything you’d do differently if you could do it over? Many things! Honestly, we would strive very hard to make the gospel the centerpiece and motivation for…
Read MoreTodd Engstrom on Austin Stone’s Missional Move (part 2)
The Austin Stone Community Church is one of several prominent churches moving in the direction of missional communities. Todd Engstrom is the Pastor of Missional Communities at Austin Stone and this is part two of a three part interview. You can read part one right here. What are your goals for missional communities? What do…
Read More5 Things Senior Pastors Need to Know About Small Group Ministry
There are 5 things every senior pastor needs to know about small group ministry: First, senior pastors need to know that they are the most important champion of small group ministry. If they want grouplife to happen, if they want to be a church OF groups, they must accept this role. They might hope to…
Read MoreTodd Engstrom on Austin Stone’s Missional Move
One of the most important current grouplife trends is the move in the direction of missional community. The Austin Stone Community Church is one of several prominent churches moving in this direction. Todd Engstrom is the Pastor of Missional Communities at Austin Stone and this is part one of a three part interview. What is…
Read MoreTwelve: The Global Online GroupLife Gathering
Have you made plans for September 14-15, 2011? That’s when 2011’s biggest online grouplife event happens. 2 days. 3 tracks. 8 sessions. Featuring 36 top small group thinkers…this is a seriously good list. The best news? Through June 29th you can register for as low as $25! Three Tracks Essentials Track: This is a highly…
Read MoreThe “Catch a Moving Train” Scenario
You know the feeling. No matter how many new groups you start, an equal number of groups lose interest and drop out. No matter how many apprentices you’ve recruited and trained, you’re not starting new groups fast enough to keep up with the number of small group sign-ups. No matter that you even launched a…
Read MoreIt’s Not What You Think…It’s the Design
Have you ever been really stumped by something, really trying to puzzle out an answer, and then be shocked at how simple the explanation was? It’s easy sometimes to just be looking at something from the wrong angle and be really surprised by how different it looks from another angle. I was talking about a…
Read MoreMission: St. Louis is Transforming a City
One of the coolest ideas in On the Verge is being implemented by Mission: St. Louis, a non-profit that exists “to transform the city of St. Louis through education, empowerment and development by connecting churches with neighborhoods in need.” Mission: St. Louis was launched by The Journey in the St. Louis area with a vision of “building…
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