Posts by Mark Howell
Story (Ben Arment’s Conference for Creatives)
Story, the conference for creatives, is coming to Chicago on September 23-24. I’m trying to figure out a way to go. Part of my strategy is to post this link (if I post the link I get entered into an “occasional drawing to win some creative resources.” Hoping I can trade the resources to go…
Read MoreIntroducing: Michael Mack and Small Group Leadership
One of the champions of small group ministry that you need to know about is Michael Mack. He’s a practitioner and has been the Connect Minister at Northeast Christian Church in Louisville, KY, for a number of years. He’s also a writer and a frequent contributor to SmallGroups.com. In fact, he was a co-founder of…
Read MoreQuotebook: Small Groups with Back Rows
“If there’s a back row, it’s not a small group.” Andy Stanley
Read More5 Keys to Finding More Leaders
“I can’t find enough leaders!” Have you ever said that? If you have, you’re in good company. It’s one of the most common complaints of small group ministry point people. Here are the five most common reasons you can’t find enough small group leaders: You’re asking for the wrong thing. I think this is one…
Read More10 Essential Small Group Leader Skills
My purpose at MarkHowellLive is to help pastors and small group champions build stronger small group ministries. Most of the articles here are about strategies that will help build what I call boundary-free small group ministries. Within the knowledge base there are some important articles designed to help train small group leaders in key areas.…
Read MoreIntroducing: Randall Neighbour and The Naked Truth About Small Groups
One of the names you need to know in small group ministry is Randall Neighbour. If it sounds familiar, it may be because you recognize the last name. Randall is the son of Ralph Neighbour who, along with Lyman Coleman and Carl George, are really the patriarchs of small group ministry in North America. Randall…
Read MoreSoul-Shaping Small Groups
Working my way through Soul-Shaping Small Groups: A Refreshing Approach for Exasperated Leaders by Kim V. Engelmann. New from IVP, the subtitle sounded hopeful and honestly, the book doesn’t disappoint. The concept for the book comes from Engelmann’s own experience while serving as the head of the Care Ministries Department at Menlo Park Presbyterian Church. …
Read MoreBreaking the “Mythical” 150% Participation Barrier
Certain barriers are legendary when they’re broken. The four minute mile immediately comes to mind. When Roger Bannister became the first person to record a sub-four minute mile on May 6, 1954 it changed everyone’s mind about what was possible. 46 days later another runner broke Bannister’s record with an even faster time. Since that…
Read MoreTake Action: Find Stories That Connect
Nothing helps convince unconnected people see the value of connecting like a great personal story. You can make all the announcements you want about how to get connected to a small group. You can preach all the sermons you want about how being in a small group is biblical and God’s plan for all of…
Read MoreAbide: Practicing Kingdom Rhythms in a Consumer Culture
Looking for a way to help your small groups begin to experience and practice the spiritual disciplines? Abide: Practicing Kingdom Rhythms in a Consumer Culture is a new 5 session study from Threads Media; designed to help group members “subvert the rhythms of suburban culture.” Abide, by Jared C. Wilson, takes a look at 5…
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