Posts by Mark Howell
Top 5 Ways to Multiply Small Groups
How can we start some new groups? We have 14 (or 34, 78, or 103) and we’re stuck on how to add new groups. What’s the best way to do it? What are some ways that we’re not thinking of? This is a very frequent question. And it’s a good one because it’s rooted in…
Read MoreWhat Part Does Your Senior Pastor Play?
If you want to become a church of groups…what part does your senior pastor play? More to the point, does your pastor need to lead a group in order for group life to become a deeply held value in your church? [quote]Although I’ve written a 4 part series on The Role of the Senior Pastor,…
Read MoreTop 10 Axiomatic Beliefs of Group Life
When you think of group life, of small group ministry, what are your axiomatic beliefs? Remember that an axiom is an established rule or principle or self-evident truth. We all have them stored away in our brains. The key is that not all of them are true…and not all of them are the kind that…
Read MoreDebug Your Thinking
When you think about your discipleship strategy or your connection strategy…how is it working? Have you ever slowed down long enough to really examine your results? To see if what you are trying to do is really happening? On the wall in my office you’ll find a quote that is constantly on my mind as…
Read MoreCommunicating with Hosts and Leaders
What are you doing to keep your small group leaders and hosts up to speed? Calling them all personally? Using a coaching structure to stay in contact? Adding a note to the bulletin? Updating your church’s website? Maybe all of the above? One of the best new ways to communicate with your leaders and hosts…
Read MoreRecommended Follow-Up Studies
As I’ve mentioned, when you’re launching new groups using a church-wide campaign it is very important to give your newest groups something to do next that is similar in kind. DVD-driven. Easy to use. Plug and play. They will be much more likely to continue if you help them at this critical moment. Here are…
Read MoreWhat’s Next? When (and How) to Promote the Next Curriculum
When you’re talking about sequencing the launch of a church-wide campaign, one of the most underestimated and overlooked part of the strategy has to do with sustaining what you launch. Much like the Space Shuttle, there are things you can do to help your new groups stay in the air. In fact, there are a…
Read MoreHow to Recruit Members to Groups
How will your hosts add members to their groups? After you’ve chosen the church-wide campaign you will use and recruited hosts, determining how you will recruit members is a very big decision. Along with the first two questions, this one has a lot to do with how effectively your campaign reaches into the crowd. It…
Read MoreShort Films Telling True Stories of An Active God
Just tripped across a very interesting resource…Deidox.com. These are some great stories about how ordinary people are doing extraordinary things to make a difference in their communities. If you’re trying to launch externally focused small groups or give your groups a community focus…you need to take a look at what Deidox.com is doing. Very cool. …
Read MorePromoting the Launch Series
Preparing to launch a church-wide campaign? There are some keys to doing it well (and it’s not too late to kick your campaign up a notch!). Here are some ideas you can use right now: Take advantage of the website. Keep in mind that many of the adults in your congregation only attend once or…
Read More