Posts by Mark Howell
What Step Are You Missing? (and how much is it costing you?)
Over the years my philosophy of ministry and my small group strategy have been shaped by a set of ideas and a set of assumptions. I review both lists from time to time and have consistently chosen to stay the course for another season. See also, 10 IDEAS THAT SHAPE MY PHILOSOPHY OF MINISTRY and…
Read More5 Things that Will Boost Ministry in the Next Season
If the wise men and women are right, the coronavirus pandemic is not an interruption of the old normal. Instead it is a disruption that will settle into a new normal. As I think about what is working during this season, I can see a set of things that will boost ministry in the next…
Read MoreStuck? Facing a Wall? 4 Questions that Lead to Breakthrough
Need a breakthrough? Or at least some breakthrough thinking? Have the challenges of the season we’re in made you feel like you’re in a maze that you just have to get through? How firmly are you committed to the strategies you’re using to connect unconnected people? Stuck like Super Glue? How dry is the cement…
Read More3 Lessons Learned about Engagement (from COVID-19)
This is where I begin: I am an experimenter. I am also a learner. I am never content with the way we’ve always done it. I am always looking for an even better outcome, a more effective method, a more productive strategy or tactic. Four things I know: I am convinced that my ministry “is…
Read MoreHave You Made the Commitment to Not Settle for Mediocrity?
I never want to settle for okay results or anything less than glowing reviews. Now sometimes, things don’t work like I thought they might, and I’m okay with swings and misses…as long as they are evaluated (right, wrong, missing and confused) and if warranted, tried again with better execution. But mediocre outcomes are not good…
Read More5 Things To Do When the World Changes
I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but things may not immediately return to the way they were before COVID-19. They may not immediately return, or quickly, or even over time. In fact, it’s probable that some things that were normal and everyday may not just pick up as if nothing happened. Ever. Or for a…
Read More5 Things That Will Pick You Up Right Now
I don’t know about you, but the whole sheltering-in-place and social distancing protocols are wearing a little thin! Or maybe they’re wearing me a little heavier! #quarantineweightgain To combat my loneliness and longing for connection with friends and human interaction, I’ve begun adding a few things to my routine. And I thought you might need…
Read MoreWill You Have the Strategy You Need POST-COVID-19?
How have you been imagining ministry life after COVID-19? Do you think the strategies you were using in February will still be the right strategies? Here’s what I’m thinking. If you already had an engagement pathway that helped connect people connect online, you’ll be ahead of the curve. If you already had a strategy in…
Read MoreWhat’s Important Now? Things To Do This Week
I don’t know about you, but I start every week with a long list of things that could be done and a short list of things that must be done. On that long list are things that would be nice to do, might help us accomplish our mission, and should help move us in the…
Read MoreIntentional Churches Is a Game-Changer
I joined the team at Canyon Ridge in 2012. From the very beginning I felt great alignment with the thinking of Doug Parks, then an executive pastor at Canyon Ridge (and my boss). I’ve always believed that every ministry is perfectly designed to produce the results they are currently experiencing, and Doug was steadily developing…
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