Use a Year-End Review to Help Your Small Group Members Grow
If you’ve ever gone on a long hike through rugged terrain you probably know how important it is to periodically check where you are against where you’re going. I’ll never forget an 8 day experience I had as a twelve year old Boy Scout, hiking through a section of California’s Sierra Nevada mountains. I learned…
Read MoreTop 10 Signs Your Small Group Ministry Is Schizophrenic
Schizophrenia is no laughing matter. It’s serious business. Still…it’s a perfect way to think about ministry that needs therapy or medication. Here are the top 10 signs your small group ministry is schizophrenic: 1. You do the same thing year after year and expect different results. You remember what Albert Einstein said. “The definition of…
Read MoreThe Engel Scale and the Need for Customized Next Steps
I get questions. A lot of questions. Here’s an email I got in response to a post last week about the importance of developing empathy for our customers’ needs. “Mark, I get what you are talking about in designing systems and processes that work but the language of customer and consumer is problematic. I have…
Read More10 Powerful Benefits of a Thriving Small Group Ministry
Have you figured this out already? Still arm wrestling with the usual suspects over whether the return on investment is worth the cost? Here are 10 killer benefits of a thriving small group ministry: 1. Life-change happens best in small groups. You might have a killer weekend worship service with powerful teaching and inspiring worship,…
Read MoreTop 10 Posts of November, 2013
Here are my top 10 posts of November, 2013. I had folks stop in from 80 countries around the world. That’s amazing to me. Thanks for stopping by! Pretty cool, too, 836 of my almost 1300 posts was viewed at least once. Thanks for reading! Did you miss a day? Here are my top posts…
Read MoreLearn to Empathize with Your End User
What does it take to design something that actually matters to your customer? To your end user? It may not be what you think. It turns out that what makes a great designer is empathy. “Be empathetic,” Kelley tells Charlie Rose in a January, 2013 episode of 60 Minutes. “Try to understand what people really…
Read More4 Steps to Extending Your Reach into the Crowd and Community
Ever said anything that remotely sounds like this: Our student ministry isn’t reaching new teens. We’re just not reaching young adults anymore. We’re not reaching young couples. We’re seeing plenty of first time visitors, but they’re not coming back. Our congregation doesn’t reflect the community. We’re older. We lack diversity. We drive the wrong cars…
Read MoreSet Aside What You Think Is True to Learn What Is Actually True
I quoted a line from Gary Hamel in a recent post. A great line, very thought-provoking, and one that ought to be downright terrifying for many church leaders. Hamel wrote: “Organizations lose their relevance when the rate of internal change lags the pace of external change. And that’s the problem that besets many churches today (Gary Hamel, Organized…
Read MoreReading List for Christmas, 2013
Every year I create a list of books I think you should read. Sometimes the books I include are very purely about small group ministry, discipleship or spiritual formation. Other times, the books I include may seem pretty far afield (innovation, design, leadership, or strategy). You’ll just have to trust me. I wouldn’t include a…
Read MoreDilbert on Hard Realities
Sometimes you need a laugh. And sometimes the truth hurts…really hurts.
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