Posts by Mark Howell
Memorial Day, Honor, and Heroes
Today is Memorial Day in the United States; a day to honor U.S. service members who died while serving their country. On Sunday of Memorial Day weekend, I watched the first 25 minutes of the online service of Woodlands Church during which they asked current or past members of the armed forces to stand. I…
Read MoreStart with Why
I love this inspiring presentation by Simon Sinek. Filmed at the TED conference in September, 2009, it should be mandatory viewing if you are designing, developing or leading ministry of any kind. I’ve watched it at least 5 times. There are two fabulous illustrations (if you hang out here very much, you know why I…
Read MoreSmall Groups with Purpose: New from Steve Gladen
I’ve said this a number of times, but I want to be sure and say this again. Steve Gladen is a couple of things. First, he’s one of the smartest GroupLife guys on the planet. He’s also one of the most helpful small group experts on the planet. Steve’s new book, Small Groups with Purpose:…
Read MoreI See Dead Groups
“Our small group just doesn’t have the energy it used to.” Seeming genuinely perplexed, he continued, “We’re really not sure what we should do. We’ve decided to take a break this fall. But maybe it’s best to just move on? It just feels stale. Any ideas?” Maybe you’ve had this conversation with a leader. Maybe…
Read MoreYour Pick: Gamaliel or Simon Peter?
We tend to think that the leader identification and selection challenge is a modern problem. It’s not. Faced with the challenge, Jesus “went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God. When morning came, he called his disciples to him and chose twelve of them (Luke 6:12-16).” I just want…
Read MoreThe 12 Were Not Chosen from the Core
You probably know this…but the Twelve were not chosen from the usual suspects. I know for some that line all by itself might cause you to lump me in with the riffraff. Sorry about that. But sometimes the truth hurts. It’s true, though. When Jesus selected the twelve apostles, they were not first round material.…
Read MoreVeneer…a Book You Should Be Reading
Want to reach the widening 60% that can’t be reached by the attractional model? Developing a deeper cultural awareness is absolutely essential. As part of my process I read Veneer: Living Deeply in a Surface Society by Timothy Willard and Jason Locy. I noticed Veneer and requested a copy after seeing a Qideas tweet (www.qideas.org), because I’m…
Read MoreP.S. May You Always Hear the Music
On a nearly daily basis I’m reminded that in order to reach the widening 60% (who will never be reached with the attractional model) we will need to rearrange priorities. No doubt this is true for almost all of us. Tripping across a great line from Gary Hamel’s Competing for the Future, I remembered what…
Read MoreGroupLife Reading List for Summer 2011
Started putting your summer grouplife reading list together? If you’ve been along for this ride, you know I am always reading. I’ve just found that we can all learn so much from other practitioners and reading a book makes it easy. I’m a big believer in including your team in what you read, as well.…
Read MoreRead the Bible for Life: A Whole Church Experience from Lifeway
Searching for ways to increase biblical literacy in your church? A new church-wide campaign from Lifeway, Read the Bible for Life may be a solution. Based on George Guthrie’s popular book by the same title, this study will be a valuable resource for many churches. The Leader Kit for the whole church campaign includes three…
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