Posts by Mark Howell
5 Things I Wish I Could Say to Your Senior Pastor
Are there conversations you hate to have? How about conversations you love to have? I have to say, one of my favorite conversations is with senior pastors about the role they play in building a thriving small group ministry. I’m having it more and more often…because a growing number of senior pastors realize that life-change…
Read MoreWin 2 FREE Registrations to re:group: North Point’s Groups Conference
We have a winner! The contest is closed. Join Andy Stanley and the North Point Groups team for re:group, one of the very best small groups conferences I’ve ever attended! May 2-3, 2016 at Buckhead Church in Atlanta, Georgia. You’ll be inspired and equipped with the nuts and bolts of building a small group culture for…
Read MoreDilbert on Character (and who you are when no one’s looking)
Sometimes you just need to laugh. I had a good one when I saw this one! You can see the rest of Dilbert references right here.
Read MoreCarl George on How Leaders Allocate Resources
Some lines are more than just memorable. They reverberate long after they were spoken. This line from my friend Carl George has continued to come up in my own work for almost 25 years: “Leaders allocate the finite resources to the critical growth path.” Carl George When I use this line I always point out…
Read MoreHow to Neutralize the Time Traps that Catch Small Group Pastors
Yesterday we talked about the big rocks that must be added to your calendar…first. If you missed that post, you should go back and read it. Today, I want to spend some time talking about the time traps that often catch small group pastors. I refer to them as traps because unless you are careful…
Read MoreHow an Effective Small Group Pastor Structures Their Calendar
You’ve made it through the hiring process, unpacked your books, and set up your office. You’ve even played around with your email signature. Now what? What should you do with your time? How can you structure your calendar, your time, to have the greatest impact? Dr. Steven Covey’s famous illustration of doing first things first…
Read MoreThe Coaching Habit Is a Must Read for People Developers
Spent some time with a new book from Michael Bungay Stanier this week. The Coaching Habit: Say Less, Ask More and Change the Way You Lead Forever is probably something you ought to be taking a look at. Stanier first caught my attention with Do More Great Work, an engaging book about productivity I discovered a…
Read MoreWill I See You at re:group?
I’m already getting excited about re:group, North Point Ministries small group conference! May 2-3, 2016 at Buckhead Church in Atlanta, GA. Are you going? Have you ever been? There are very few can’t miss events. re:group is definitely one of them! The plenary sessions are always so creatively done, very fun and very challenging. The selection…
Read MoreTom Peters on Irrelevance
“Irrelevance comes from always doing the things you know how to do in the way you’ve always done them.” Tom Peters My longstanding interest in the application of the ideas of great business writers (such as Tom Peters, Jim Collins, Gary Hamel, and Patrick Lencioni and many more), began in 1986 when I read In…
Read More5 Great Post-Easter Studies
Update: Here’s a link to my 2022 list of great post-Easter studies. Looking for a way to connect unconnected people right after Easter? Yesterday I shared how to take full advantage of an early Easter to connect more people in groups. Here’s a link to my 2018 list of great post-Easter studies. Here are 5…
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