Posts by Mark Howell
Do Good Small Groups Really Grow and Birth?
Good groups grow and birth. If you’re a student of group life, you’ve heard that line. It’s shorthand for two of the key concepts of the Meta-church Model; the ideas that every leader should have an apprentice and that healthy groups grow over time and at about 12 members are “pregnant” and ready to birth.…
Read MoreSacred Roads: New from Threads
Looking for a challenging journey? Sacred Roads: Exploring the Historic Paths of Faith may be just the ticket. New from Threads, Lifeway’s young adult and college line, this one takes you on a pilgrimage in a “search for discipleship discoveries” designed to help you re-imagine and re-invent the way it happens in the 21st century.…
Read MoreUpdate: Childcare Policies for Off-Campus Groups
Do you have childcare worker policies and procedures for off-campus groups? That’s the short version of a question that was asked last week. The question was prompted by <em>on-campus</em> childcare/ministry liability concerns that are mitigated (big word meaning “make less severe”) by policies and procedures (i.e., fingerprinting, child-worker ratios, 2 person rule, etc.). Turns out…
Read MoreMaking Coaching Work
Caught this great interview of Bill Donahue over at MacLakeOnline. Good stuff! Check it out.
Read MoreTake Action: Build a Group Life Network
When it comes to group life, there are few things more out of character than a point person operating solo. If there is any ministry position that should be predisposed to connecting with other like-minded leaders from around town…you’d think it would be the small group pastor, director or volunteer champion. After all, the whole…
Read MoreChildcare Policies and Procedures for Off-Campus Groups
I get questions almost every week about small group ministry. Love getting them because they often become the basis for a really needed article or series. Here’s a paraphrase of one I got this week: [quote] “How do you handle childcare? Not in the usual sense. We’ve already made our groups responsible for their own…
Read MoreHow To Connect with the Small Group Network
Here’s how to connect with the smartest small group people in your area! Why go it alone? Take 3 minutes. Follow these easy steps…and you’ll be on your way to connecting with the right people. Big Disclaimer: This is NOT about Purpose Driven. This is about how to connect with the smartest group people in…
Read MoreHenry Cloud’s Group Life Conference Call
Miss Henry Cloud’s Willow Creek Group Life conference call? You missed a great conversation about “Safe People / Dangerous Groups.” Really fantastic with some great takeaways. You can listen in right here or you can pop over to the Group Life Facebook site to check some of the comments. Also helpful to search twitter with…
Read MoreLessons from Saddleback: How to Launch Your Church-Wide Campaign
How can Saddleback have 4,500 groups? How can they have more people in groups (35,000) than they have at their weekend services (22 to 26,000)? How do they generate so much participation in their church-wide campaigns? I’m asked these questions every week. Really what people are asking is, “What is Saddleback doing that produces such…
Read MoreMaking Small Groups Work
There are a few books every small group pastor needs. One of those books is Making Small Groups Work by Henry Cloud and John Townsend. You may recognize their names as the authors of the best-seller, Boundaries. If you’re looking for source material to build a leader training or enrichment course, this is a must…
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