Posts by Mark Howell
Friday’s List: November 4
Friday’s List: November 4 I’ve been meaning to do this for quite awhile. I’m asked for recommendations all the time. I’ll be posting a short list every Friday. Here are the things I’m reading, listening to, loving and wrestling with: Here’s what I’m reading right now: How to Make Your Church Feel Smaller Than It…
Read MoreChris McChesney on How to Achieve Goals
“To achieve a goal you’ve never achieved before, you must do things you’ve never done before.” Chris McChesney, The 4 Disciplines of Execution: Achieving Your Wildly Important Goals. To achieve a goal you've never achieved before, you must do things you've never done before. —Chris McChesney Share on X You can read more from my…
Read MoreYour Philosophy of Ministry and Decision-Making
Have you ever really thought through your philosophy of ministry? How about the assumptions that shape your small group strategy? See also, 10 Ideas that Have Shaped My Philosophy of Ministry and 7 Assumptions that Shape My Small Group Strategy. I know, it may seem like something you will do someday or something that would…
Read MoreHave You Made These 3 Game-Changing Observations about Small Group Ministry?
I had lunch yesterday with a couple new friends from another church in town. We ended up having a wide ranging conversation about the rationale or underlying philosophy that makes certain small group ministry decisions obvious. Their answers to my battery of questions led to several observations about best practices. Sometimes you can see things…
Read MoreFAQ: How to Budget for a Thriving Small Group Ministry
I get questions. A LOT of questions. Some by email. Others embedded in comments here on the blog. And still more when I’m speaking at a conference or workshop. Some version of today’s question is a very frequent question: “What do you need to budget for if you want to build a small group ministry?”…
Read MoreChris McChesney on The Biggest Destroyer of Focus
“Nothing is more counterintuitive for a leader than saying no to a good idea, and nothing is a bigger destroyer of focus than always saying yes.” Chris McChesney The 4 Disciplines of Execution: Achieving Your Wildly Important Goals Nothing is more counterintuitive for a leader than saying no to a good idea, and nothing is a…
Read MoreWhat Are You Trying to Produce?
One of the questions I ask all the time is, “What do we want people to do?” Another is, “What do we want people to become?” The correct answers to these questions are not generalizations (i.e., fully devoted followers, disciples, etc.). The correct answers are very specific and defined. Think about these two questions. Can…
Read MoreFour Steps That Help Groups Survive the Holidays
Have you found a way to help your groups make it through the holidays? You know how it is. Groups start off with a bang in September, many times transition to a second study in mid-October, and then just before Thanksgiving reach for the pause button. “We’ve got so much going on…it just makes more…
Read MoreHost Orientations That Work
I’ve written about this subject before here and here, but it is a critical step in a launch sequence and need to be sure you’ve got what you need to do it well. Here are a few ideas that I’ve found very helpful. When people sign up to host a group, send them a letter…
Read MoreDebug Your Thinking – a Group Life Webinar
Thursday, September 3rd, 12:00 to 12:45 pm CDT Click here to register Trying to figure out why your small group ministry isn’t really delivering the results you’re looking for? Resigned to the fact that in your church it just doesn’t work? I want to suggest that there are probably some underlying assumptions that are keeping…
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