Posts by Mark Howell
Most Popular Posts | November 09
Miss a few days in November? Here are the ten most popular articles in the last 30 days. Take a look! Top 10 Reasons Saddleback Has Connected Over 130% In Groups Top 10 Reasons I’m a Fan of Open Groups Four Steps That Help Groups Survive the Holidays How to Launch Groups Using a Small…
Read MoreSkill Training | How To Stimulate Better Discussions
Reminder: Two of my core assumptions are (1) if I want to make it possible for everyone to be part of a group, I need to lower the bar for leaders (and raise the bar for coaches and coaching) and (2) part of lowering the bar for leaders is that I need to provide material…
Read MoreSkill Training | Priming the Leadership Pump
“I can’t find enough leaders to take care of the number of people who want to be in a group.” “Many of the people with the most potential to lead are just sitting in groups as members and won’t leave to start a new group.” Sound familiar? Those are two of the most common complaints…
Read More5 Essential GroupLife Reads for Your Christmas List
What are you reading these days? Here are five small group ministry books that I highly recommend. If you’ve not read them yet, now’s the time! Creating Community by Andy Stanley and Bill Willits is an extremely easy read that is packed with very helpful insights about the small group philosophy at North Point Community…
Read MoreHappy Thanksgiving!
I don’t know about you, but I look forward to this day all year. Greenberg Smoked Turkey, cornbread dressing, cranberry relish, sweet potatoes, and pecan pie. That’s worth looking forward to! But…it’s not the whole reason I look forward to this day. I also look forward to it because it is a day that reminds…
Read MoreSkill Training | Using A Small Group Agreement
One of the most important ingredients in group life is a small group agreement or covenant. It doesn’t have to be complicated. It can be a pre-printed handout (or download) or you can simply offer a set of guidelines and ask each group to write their own. I’ve found an agreement to be very helpful…
Read More5 December Keys to a Great GroupLife January
You may already be on top of it…but just to be sure, here are five steps you can take today to make sure January is extra effective in 2010. Set the date for a Small Group Connection. There are three very good connection opportunities every year. Fall is a great time to launch a church-wide…
Read MoreReminder: When The World Changes “Different Is Required”
What was true when your current system was designed? Stop for just a moment and think about it. When your current system was designed, what was true about your congregation? What was true about the community? What was true about the culture? Okay…it will take you longer than a moment…but you need to see this. …
Read MoreDream Big About What’s Possible
We’ve been talking about building an exponential group system. In my last post we wrestled with the idea that a key early step in the journey to exponential is to have brutal honesty about the present…the way things really are right now. Once you’ve developed a clear and honest understanding of where things really are…
Read MoreDiagnosis: Brutal Honesty About Your Present
Yesterday we talked about the core philosophy that drives an exponential group system. If you missed step one, you can read about having a crowd-to-core philosophy right here. Today I want to talk about step two in the process: Diagnosis: Brutal Honesty About Your Present. Sounds harsh. Brutal even. But without an honest evaluation…
Read More