Posts by Mark Howell
Thinking Thursday: Andrew Stanton: The clues to a great story
No matter your role, at some point and in some way, what you do is about the ability to tell a story. Whether you are recruiting a coach or trying to inspire your senior pastor to talk about the life-changing qualities of a small group…you need to learn to be a better storyteller. And so…
Read MoreQuotebook: Changing or Losing
Sometimes I hear a great quote and can almost think of nothing else until I write down exactly what was said. This happened on Monday while sitting in on a staff meeting at a church where I am consulting. The staff was reading a book together and commenting one by one on what they had…
Read MoreMissed It by That Much!
Get Smart was one of our favorite television shows when I was in elementary school. Maxwell Smart, agent 86, was always almost getting it right and saying, “Missed it by that much.” He came very close to getting it right, or at least in his mind he was very close. It was a great show.…
Read More7 Skills Every Small Group Pastor Needs
What skills must every small group pastor have in their skill set? I’ve written about the 5 habits I’d look for if I was hiring a small group pastor. This is really a different thing. There is a set of skills every small group pastor must have in their skill set. 7 Skills Every Small…
Read MoreDallas Willard on the Greatest Issue Facing the World
Think about the implications of this sentence from Dallas Willard’s The Great Omission: Reclaiming Jesus’s Essential Teachings on Discipleship: “The greatest issue facing the world today, with all its heartbreaking needs, is whether those who, by profession or culture, are identified as Christians will become disciples—students, apprentices, practitioners—of Jesus Christ, steadily learning from him how to…
Read MoreThinking Thursday: Got a Wicked Problem? First, Tell Me How You Make Toast
Making toast doesn’t sound very complicated — until someone asks you to draw the process, step by step. Tom Wujec loves asking people and teams to draw how they make toast, because the process reveals unexpected truths about how we can solve our biggest, most complicated problems at work. Learn how to run this exercise…
Read MoreReady to Maximize Your Fall Campaign?
If you want to maximize the impact of your next church-wide campaign, why not take advantage of my experience? After all, in the last decade I’ve… Led several of the fastest growing churches in America through the campaign process Consulted with some of the largest churches and led them through the campaign process Provided coaching…
Read More5 Important Trends in Small Group Ministry
Back in 2011 I wrote about what I felt were the current trends in small group ministry. It’s been over 4 years and definitely time to update the list of current trends. As you’ll see, some of the trends have continued to strengthen while others are emerging. I should point out that just because a…
Read MoreAre You a Leader? Or a Functionary?
One of my objectives at Canyon Ridge is the development of a robust leadership culture. That objective informs the way we identify, recruit and develop coaches. It also gives focus to the development of our leadership pathway. The pursuit of the development of a robust leadership culture has added a theme to my reading this…
Read MoreDilbert on How a Small Group Connection Really Works
Sometimes you just need to laugh.
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