Posts by Mark Howell
Thinking Thursday: How Art, Technology and Design Inform Creative Leaders
John Maeda, former President of the Rhode Island School of Design, delivers a funny and charming talk that spans a lifetime of work in art, design and technology, concluding with a picture of creative leadership in the future. Watch for demos of Maeda’s earliest work — and even a computer made of people. Can’t see…
Read MoreDo You Know What Business You Are Really In?
Peter Drucker was known for asking great questions. I love his line that “the important and difficult job is never to find the right answers, it is to find the right question. For there are few things as useless–if not dangerous–as the right answer to the wrong question (The Practice of Management).” “What business are you in?”…
Read MoreWhat to Do If You Discover You Have a Bad Disciple-Making Strategy
Yesterday I posted 5 Signs You May Have a Bad Disciple-Making Strategy. And of course, I immediately had questions about what to do if you discover that you have a bad disciple-making strategy. Maybe you wondered the same thing! Here’s my recommendation: Rethink your design. If you discover that you have a bad disciple-making design (based…
Read More5 Signs You May Have a Bad Disciple-Making Strategy
You may want to argue with me, but I think there are certain signs that indicate clearly whether you have a bad disciple-making strategy. With me? Isn’t it obvious that certain results or a lack of results would indicate a bad disciple-making strategy? Remember, “your ministry is perfectly designed to produce the results you are…
Read MoreReady to Launch: A New Study on Jesus-Centered Parenting
Had an opportunity this week to preview a new study from J.D. and Veronica Greear. J.D. Greear is the lead pastor of Summit Church in Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina; Summit Church has been one of Outreach magazines top 25 fastest growing churches in America for several years running. Ready to Launch: Jesus-Centered Parenting in a Child-Centered World is…
Read MoreThinking Thursday: Listen, Learn…Then Lead
Four-star general Stanley McChrystal shares what he learned about leadership over his decades in the military. How can you build a sense of shared purpose among people of many ages and skill sets? By listening and learning — and addressing the possibility of failure. Can’t see the video? You can watch it right here.
Read MoreAre You Playing to Play? Or Playing to Win?
Are you playing to play? Or playing to win? I’ve been thinking a lot recently about clarifying the win in the various ministries and steps at Canyon Ridge. We always want to identify what we will call a win before we schedule anything. Actually, before we calendar anything we want to know what you will call…
Read MoreHelp! We Need Fresh Ideas for Communicating with Unconnected People
I get questions. Sometimes I get a lot of questions from readers looking for answers. And sometimes, the best way to answer them is right here with a blog post. Here’s a question I got yesterday: We are in need of some fresh ways to communicate to the four types of unconnected people as we discuss…
Read More4 Types of Unconnected People and How to Connect Them
Have you picked up on the fact that unconnected people are different in some ways than connected people? If you have, you are already moving in the right direction. Next, though, you must understand there are four main types of unconnected people and how you might connect them depends on improving your understanding of their…
Read MoreChurchless: An Important Primer for Understanding Today’s Unchurched
Spent some time with the newest book from George Barna and David Kinnaman this week. Churchless: Understanding Today’s Unchurched and How to Connect with Them covers some very important ground and is based on some research you are definitely going to want to understand. “The Barna Group is a visionary research and resource company located in Ventura,…
Read More