My Small Group Ministry Philosophy for the 21st Century
(NOTE: This is an updated version of an article from 2021.) Disclosure: Depending on your own bias or bent, you might read this rant as either heresy, confirmation that I’ve lost it, or maybe something worth sharing with your team. To start with, at some level I believe the current discipleship emphasis and the missional…
Read MoreFULL DISCLOSURE: I’m Still Not a Theorist
For over 35 years of pastoral ministry, usually in paid positions but occasionally a volunteer, I’ve always maintained that I’m a practitioner, not a theorist. “I’m not a theorist. I am a practitioner.” That’s been an important truth for me over the years for a number of reasons. Primarily because I’ve never wanted to be…
Read MoreWhat’s next for me and MarkHowellLive.com
As many of you know, I left my last active role on a church staff in August of 2021. A set of philosophical differences with an incoming lead pastor just made my brand of small group ministry a poor fit for Canyon Ridge. When that has happened before (two times out of six moves), we…
Read MoreDon’t Miss One at a Time: A 6-Week Study by Kyle Idleman
Did you miss this one? I did. One at a Time is Kyle Idleman’s 2022 entry into the church-wide campaign list. Based on a book written by Idleman and published in January, 2022, and a video series (available on RightNow Media and the Southeast Christian Church website), One at a Time offers an outstanding glimpse…
Read MoreFrequently Asked Questions about HOW TO. JUMPSTART. JANUARY. ’23!
I’m very excited about the launch of my newest course: HOW. TO. JUMPSTART. JANUARY. ’23!. I launched the initial version in 2014 via a recorded conference call and revised it in 2016 via a video call). I revised the course again in 2019 and 2021. You may have questions and just not had time yet…
Read MoreHow (and Why) to Draw Saddleback’s Concentric Circles to Scale
If you’ve been along for much of this conversation, you know I love a good diagram. Saddleback’s “concentric circles” diagram has tremendous application and I’ve used it a lot to explain things like crowd to core strategy and engagement pathways. This version of the concentric circles diagram has been used many times to illustrate the…
Read More3 Clues That Will Help You Design Your Small Group Ministry
All of us have a level of interest in putting our own spin on the design of our small group ministries. Our designs include things like: who can be a group leader (and how they become one) leader expectations how leader development works (i.e., is there training, is there a coach, etc.) how you join…
Read MoreMaking Small Group On-Ramps Easy, Obvious and Strategic
This is a two-part concept. First, so that we’re all on the same page, let’s start with a definition: on-ramp: noun [on-ramp, -awn] an entrance lane for traffic from a street to a turnpike or freeway We all know what an on-ramp is when we’re driving, right? But when we’re talking about small group ministry…it’s…
Read MoreLanguage Tweaks that Recruit More Leaders and Connect More Unconnected People
Language. Verbiage. This word over that word. What is the clearest way you can say it? What if you said it THIS way? Would this word be better? When it comes to inviting (or persuading) unconnected people to try a small group or potential leaders to say “yes” to leading a group, I have become…
Read More5 Things to Do in August (that will launch more groups in September)
What’s there to do in August? You might think it’s the dog days of summer, but it’s really the calm before the storm! And there are some pretty important things to do that if you do them…you will reap a bigger harvest. 5 THINGS TO DO IN AUGUST First, give your launch sequence a last…
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