Posts by Mark Howell
Thinking Strategically…about the New Year
When do you start thinking about January? Are you already there? One of the most under-appreciated habits is looking ahead. Do you have that one? If not, you need to develop it. I believe it is at the heart of what separates success from failure many times. Why? Like an Indy car driver who never…
Read More5 Keys to Sustaining New Groups
“We’ve launched 25 new groups. How can we help them continue to meet?” With the development of the HOST strategy it is not hard to launch a wave of new small groups. Very easy to do. But like I always say, “There’s an upside and a downside to everything.” What’s the upside? They’re easy to…
Read MoreWhat About Alcohol at Group Meetings?
Great question this morning in my email inbox: I don’t know how to address the issue of alcohol that is being served at small group meetings. Do you see alcohol consumption, in moderation, as a problem at small groups? I’m not coming at this from a judgmental standpoint. I don’ t have a problem with…
Read MoreHow Does a HOST Become a Leader or Shepherd?
We recruited HOSTS to open their homes for six weeks, serve a few refreshments and tell a few of their friends…but how does a HOST burn into a leader? Isn’t that more than they signed up to do? Ever asked that one? It’s a great question and one being asked everywhere that the host idea…
Read MoreWhat If You Had One Month to Live?
Video is such a powerful medium. Take a look at this video! Wow! What a story in 3:12:
Read MoreBecoming Aware of Your Decision-Making Tendencies
What are the prefab tendencies that you use to make decisions? In other words, what are the built-in tactics that pre-determine what you decide to do? Not sure? Here are a few that you may want to sort through: Idealistic vs. Pragmatic: This is a huge filter that all of us use when we’re making…
Read MoreWhat Is The Most Effective Method of Launching Small Groups?
What is the most effective method of launching small groups in our church? While this is an important question, it’s not one that has a boilerplate answer. It really depends on your church and your situation. There are a few basic strategies and each has it’s advantages and disadvantages. Here are the most commonly used:…
Read MoreWhat about birthing groups?
Q: “Shouldn’t we train our groups to birth? Shouldn’t we guide them to develop an apprentice and then help them birth a new group? Isn’t that kind of multiplication worth promoting?” A: The key is that birthing can happen…but is not a high probability. If you’re talking percentages, it’s a low probability. Think about your…
Read MoreWith
There’s so much happening right now! Really great to see what’s possible, what God’s using, what sort of things are working. Tripped across this message series concept being used at Community Christian in Naperville. Complete with a game and prizes. Isn’t that cool? Can’t you see how easy it will be to invite people?
Read MoreDo Healthy Small Groups Grow and Birth?
One of the five small group values that Willow promoted in the early 90s was that “groups must expand and multiply so that eventually every believer can be connected to others.” Short version? Healthy groups grow and birth. Makes sense, doesn’t it? After all…if something is healthy there will be growth and it will give…
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