Posts by Mark Howell
[Review] I’d Like You More If You Were More Like Me
I got to spend some time this week with the newest study from John Ortberg. I’d Like You More If You Were More Like Me is a 6 session DVD-driven study based on John Ortberg’s newest book by the same title. Designed to help people in your church cultivate deep connections with one another and be a…
Read MoreFAQ: How Do You Approach New Groups about Continuing Beyond the Initial Study?
I get questions. I get a LOT of questions. Here’s one that came from a GroupLife Insider member: We are entering week 3 of our campaign and I was wondering how you approach asking groups whether they want to continue? For instance, is it simply continue with an open-ended time frame, or do you specify…
Read MoreWhy We Do What We Do
Why We Do What We Do Sometimes the life of a small group pastor/director is challenging.. Months of behind the scenes preparation and planning. Weeks of quiet attention to details. Waking up in the night remembering a detail that must be attended to. Recruiting volunteers. And then recruiting more volunteers. Coaxing, pleading, begging, gently challenging…
Read MoreThe Quest: An Excursion Toward Intimacy with God
Spent some time this week with the newest study from Beth Moore. The Quest: An Excursion Toward Intimacy with God is a 6 session study with an interesting new approach. First, different than the typical approach of a Beth Moore study (in-depth studies of the patriarchs of Genesis and books of the Bible) The Quest, focuses “entirely…
Read MoreHere’s a great one-two punch example of a small group “ask”
It doesn’t happen every time, but when it does it is so powerful! As we prepare for a Life Group Connection (on February 25th), we’ve been inviting unconnected people to sign up for it in order to get connected. We’ve used announcements, program inserts, website promotions, a church-wide email to unconnected people, etc. The BEST…
Read More5 Best Practices of Thriving Small Group Ministries
Best Practice: “A procedure that has been shown by research and experience to produce optimal results and that is established or proposed as a standard suitable for widespread adoption.” Webster You can learn a lot by studying the best practices of thriving small group ministries. You can improve your results by adopting the best practices…
Read MoreHero Maker: 5 Essential Practices for Leaders to Multiply Leaders
I’ve spent the last 10 days working my way through a new resource from Dave Ferguson and Warren Bird. Hero Maker: 5 Essential Practices for Leaders to Multiply Leaders is set to publish on March 13, 2018. Personally, I can’t wait to pick up copies for both of the teams I serve on! Note: discover some special…
Read MoreHow to Take Full Advantage of an Early Easter to Launch New Groups
In case you missed it, Easter 2018 is April 1st! Just about the earliest Easter can occur. This is big news for all of us, because an early Easter offers a third really good opportunity to connect unconnected people in groups (normally late September/early October and late January/early February are far better than post-Easter). Ordinarily,…
Read MoreTop 5 Post-Easter Studies for New Groups (2018)
Update: Here’s a link to my newest list: 5 Great Post-Easter Studies (2022) Looking for a way to connect unconnected people right after Easter 2018? This year Easter is almost as early as it can be and that makes it a great opportunity to connect another wave of people before summer. The 5 studies I’ve…
Read MoreDiscerning the Voice of God: Revised and Expanded
I spent some time this week with the revised and expanded version of Priscilla Shirer’s classic study, Discerning the Voice of God. Have you seen it yet? So good! Shirer is one of today’s most powerful speakers and Voice of God is a great example of what happens when she is in her element. The daughter…
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