Posts by Mark Howell
5 Simple Things You Can Do TODAY That Lead to More Groups This Fall
5 Simple Things You Can Do TODAY That Lead to More Groups This Fall You may not realize this, but the things you do in May and June often predetermine how it goes in September. The things you do in May and June often predetermine how it goes in September. With that in mind, here…
Read More2016 Summer Reading List
2016 Summer Reading List Every summer I create a list of books I think you should read. Sometimes the books I include are strictly about small group ministry, discipleship or spiritual formation. Most times, the books I include may seem pretty far afield (innovation, design, leadership, or strategy). You’ll just have to trust me. I wouldn’t include…
Read MoreAdd “A Fellowship of Differents” to Your Reading List
I left the re:group conference with a list of books to add to my reading stack. First up? A Fellowship of Differents: Showing the World God’s Design for Life Together by Scot McKnight. If you’re not familiar with McKnight, he is currently Professor of New Testament at Northern Baptist Theological Seminary in Lombard, IL, and the author…
Read MoreHow Can I Help You?
How Can I Help You? Thanks for coming back! You keep coming back and that tells me what you’re finding is helping you. And that’s a very satisfying feeling for me. But are you finding something that is really helping you? Several times a week I get an email from a reader or a call…
Read MoreTrue or False: Leaders with Apprentices Leads to More Groups
What do you think? Would you answer true? Or false? Not sure? Early in my ministry I attended a small group ministry conference at Willow Creek. At that conference I learned that “healthy groups grow and birth” and every small group leader needs an apprentice so that groups can grow and birth (multiply). While at…
Read MoreBehind the Scenes: Developing a Timeline for Your Church-Wide Campaign
When you’re preparing for a church-wide campaign, developing a timeline is one of the most important early steps. I was looking at an article I wrote in 2009 about how to develop a timeline…and I realized how much has changed! It’s time to take another shot at it. Here is the way I develop a…
Read MoreBehind the Scenes: Preparing for a Church-Wide Campaign
Behind the Scenes: Preparing for a Church-Wide Campaign What do you do to prepare for a church-wide campaign? When do you start preparing? What are the first steps that lead in the direction that maximizes your results? These are all good questions. And along with many other questions, these are the right questions. In today’s…
Read MoreDilbert on Finding Solutions
Sometimes…you just need to laugh.
Read MoreBill Hybels on Overscheduling
“A runaway calendar will keep you from simplifying your life. It holds you hostage to tangible things—meetings, appointments, and projects—without giving proper priority to the intangibles: who you are becoming, your relationships with family and friends, your connectedness to God. Without conscious intervention, this pattern of chronically overscheduling ensures that the priorities you care about…
Read MoreIs It Time for a Small Group Ministry Checkup?
Most of us have probably had days when we’ve woken up feeling a little off. There’s that feeling that something is not quite right, but we wouldn’t say we feel sick…just not quite right. You know the feeling? Now, sometimes that feeling just goes away. Maybe after a glass of orange juice or a cup…
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