Posts by Mark Howell
10 Ways to Know If Your Small Group Ministry Is Gaining Ground
How can you tell if your small group ministry is gaining ground? What are the signs? Can it be measured quantitatively? Or do you have to know how to measure qualitatively? Obviously, you can measure many things quantitatively. Quantitative measurements like how many groups you have, how many leaders and apprentices you have, and how…
Read MoreDilbert on Offering Constructive Criticism
It sounded good at the leadership development seminar…
Read MoreNew Must-Read from Eric Geiger and Ed Stetzer: Transformational Groups
I’ve been working my way through an important new book from Eric Geiger and Ed Stetzer this week. Transformational Groups: Creating a New Scorecard for Groups is the latest project in the transformational series (Transformational Church and Transformational Discipleship). All three have been researched based and packed with insights that ought to be on your…
Read More5 Easily Overlooked Secrets to Building a Thriving Small Group Ministry
I hear from pastors all the time who are desperate to crack the small group ministry code. Many have tried multiple systems and strategies, only to be disappointed and discouraged. It’s not hard to get in touch with their desperation. Often, it comes across as a mix of question and exclamation: What does it take…
Read MoreCan You Imagine GroupLife in the First Century?
I’ve been thinking about this a lot in the last few days. What was grouplife in the first century really like? We can learn some things and draw some conclusions from the New Testament. Although the Book of Acts and Paul’s letters are packed with references to what was happening in houses everywhere, the key…
Read MoreCan You Tell If Your Small Group Might Be a Zombie?
Can you tell the difference between a small group that’s fully alive and a zombie group? You’ve probably seen and heard all the buzz about zombies. You might have the general idea about what makes a person a zombie (as opposed to being alive). But have you ever thought about what might make a small…
Read MoreTop 10 Posts of January, 2014
Miss a day or two? Here are my top 10 posts of January, 2014. Actually, I included an 11th post this month because it was such a close race and #11 was very popular too. By the way, I had visitors for 91 countries in January. I think that might be a record! Thanks for…
Read MoreWhat’s Better? Rows or Circles?
Circles are better than rows. I’d say that statement has kind of swept the small group ministry world in the last few years. In fact, it has probably replaced the line that “the optimal environment for life-change is a small group.” Both good statements. Circles are better than rows has an edge to it.…
Read MoreSmall Group Ministry Roadblock #5: A Leadership Development Disconnect
(We’ve been taking a detailed look at what I believe are the top 5 small group ministry roadblocks; the things that stand in the way of a truly thriving small group ministry. See also, 10 Powerful Benefits of a Thriving Small Group Ministry. Today I want to spend some time on a very serious issue:…
Read MoreNew from IVP: Living in Christ’s Presence featuring Dallas Willard and John Ortberg
Had an opportunity today to review a powerful new resource from IVP and the Dallas Willard Center for Christian Spiritual Formation. Living in Christ’s Presence: Final Words on Heaven and the Kingdom of God, a 7 session DVD filmed at a February, 2013 conference in Santa Barbara featuring Dallas Willard and John Ortberg, is a…
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