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You have an idea of where you’d like your small group ministry to go. It might be a pretty vague idea. It might be close-your-eyes-and-picture-it accurate. But you have an idea. MarkHowellLive is all about helping you get to there…to where you dream of going. I think getting to there begins with an accurate appraisal…
Read More“Everything Works Better Connected” | Great Video from North Coast
Don’t know if you’ve seen this. Love this very short commercial for grouplife from the folks at North Coast Church: Growth Groups: Bungee from North Coast Church on Vimeo. .
Read MoreYour Results May Vary
Whether I’m working in our small group ministry at Parkview or on the small group ministry of a church I am consulting or coaching…I’ve learned that a fairly small number of variables determine results. I’ve also learned that some of these variables are in my control…and some are not. Remembering Andy Stanley’s great line that…
Read MoreReview| Guardrails: Avoiding Regrets in Your Life
Looking for new studies to add to your approved list of small group resources? I think you’re going to want to take a look at Guardrails: Avoiding Regrets in Your Life. From the same curriculum series that introduced Taking Responsibility for Your Life, this is going to be a very popular study. New from Zondervan, Guardrails…
Read MoreHow Fresh Is Your Latest Learning?
Are you paying attention to what’s really happening in your small group ministry? Not what you hope is happening or what you think will happen…but what’s actually happening. Are you watching for subtle variations in the way things turn out? Are you noticing when two groups that start on the same time and in the…
Read MoreA Simple Change You Can Make with Huge Implications
Sometimes the simplest changes have the biggest impact. I’m frequently asked questions like, “What’s the best small group strategy?” or “When’s the best time to launch new groups?” Right on the heels of those two questions I’m asked, “How to work around my senior pastor’s lack of passion for grouplife?” and “How can we find…
Read MoreSteve Gladen’s Latest Learning
When is the best time to launch new groups? How much advance preparation does it take to pull off DVD-driven curriculum? How can you incentivize launching new groups? _____________________________________ In a recent post, I pointed out the fact that we’re not living in “a day when the status quo is a good thing. At the beginning…
Read MoreBe an Observer, Not a Watcher
Take the time today to be an observer. Truly understanding people–their motivations, their hopes, their fears–will enable you to design a strategy that will connect beyond the usual suspects. Loved this line from New York Times writer Peter Leschak: “All of us are watchers–of television, of time clocks, of traffic on the freeway–but few of…
Read MoreTop 10 Posts of August, 2011
Here are my top 10 posts of August, 2011. Like most months it’s a mix of new and old; a selection of brand new resources, hot off the press concepts and classic strategies. How to Launch Groups Using a Small Group Connection 101 Ways to Reach Your Community: A Classic from Steve Sjogren The Small…
Read MoreRandall Neighbour’s Latest Learning: An Organic Disciplemaking Model
In a recent post, I pointed out the fact that we’re not living in “a day when the status quo is a good thing. At the beginning of the second decade of the 21st century…it is clearly time to develop a bias toward what’s next.” To help all of us figure out what’s next, I’ve asked a…
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