Posts by Mark Howell
How to Take Full Advantage of an Early Easter to Launch New Groups
In case you missed it, Easter 2016 is March 27th! Just about the earliest Easter can occur. This is big news for all of us, because an early Easter offers an extra really good opportunity to connect unconnected people in groups. Ordinarily, Easter happens a little too close to summer to allow new groups to…
Read MoreLast Chance at This Price: How to Build an Effective Coaching Structure
Update: I only have 2 spots left (for the live version) Will you take advantage? How to Build an Effective Coaching Structure: The 2016 Version Without a doubt, one of my most frequently asked questions is, “How do you build a truly effective small group coaching structure?” Actually, this question is almost always phrased this way:…
Read MoreThink about How These Barna Group Findings Affect Our Ministry
If you’ve been along for much of this conversation, you know how important I believe it is to have empathy for unconnected people. It is not a little thing to me. Designing connecting strategies that will actually connect the crowd and even into the community is a daily concern. As a result, I’m always on…
Read More5 Things that Keep Me Up at Night
There are things that bother me enough to keep me up at night. Or wake me up in the middle of the night. What kind of things? I have to admit that I’m rarely woken up thinking about things for which I have no responsibility. World peace? The state of the economy? ISIS? Never lay…
Read MoreHearing a Ringing Sound? It May Be the Clue Phone
I remember a memorable John Ortberg story told as an opener in a message. Couldn’t even begin to tell you what the message was about, but I vividly remember the story. Ortberg and Jimmy Mellado, now President and CEO of Compassion, were at Egg Harbor somewhere in Chicagoland. Mellado repeatedly orders waffles. The server says,…
Read MoreGod Dreams: A Great New Playbook for Vision and Execution
I’ve spent some time with the newest book from Will Mancini this week. If you’re involved at all in your church’s leadership team, you’re going to want to know about God Dreams: 12 Vision Templates for Finding and Focusing Your Church’s Future. If you’re not familiar with Will Mancini, he is the founder of Auxano, a…
Read MoreFrequently Asked Questions about How to Build an Effective Coaching Structure
I’m excited about my newest mini-course: Building an Effective Coaching Structure – 2019 Edition! Lot’s of interest already. And lot’s of questions! You may have questions and just not had time yet to ask them. Here are the most frequently asked questions (and the answers!): I can’t watch the live sessions. Will they be available…
Read MoreNew and Radically Improved: How to Build an Effective Coaching Structure
This course has been updated. Here’s the new version!
Read MoreI’d Love to Know What You NEED to Know
I’ve been writing here at MarkHowellLive.com since 2008. Tips and ideas. Strategies. Reviews of new small group studies and books I think you need to know about. As of today, I’ve published 1850 blog posts. Think about it! And still, I know it’s hard for someone who’s new to the tribe to know the questions that…
Read MoreTop 10 Posts on Discipleship and Making Disciples in Groups
A fundamental question about small group ministry is, “What have you designed your small groups to do?” or “What have you designed your small groups to make?” I have always believed that small group ministries with the right design (a) make it easy for unconnected people to get connected and (b) nearly automatic that they…
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