Top 5 Advantages of New Small Groups
One of the most difficult challenges any of us ever face is when we find ourselves wrestling with a new way of seeing an old problem. You’ve probably run across this drawing. It’s frequently used to demonstrate the fact that what we see initially (an old woman or a young woman) makes it difficult to…
Read MoreMissioRelate: Becoming a Church of Missional Small Groups
If you’ve been following the conversation, you know that one of the most important current grouplife trends is the idea of missional small groups. I’ve interviewed a number of small group pastors in well-known churches making the move (Josh Walters, Mike Breen, and Todd Engstrom). I’ve also reviewed a couple of the key books on…
Read MoreTop 10 Posts of June, 2011
Here are my most popular posts of June, 2011. Interesting to me that only three of the top 10 were written in June! Not 100% sure what that means. I choose to think it means the older articles in this month’s top 10 address some of the key issues in small group ministry. What do…
Read MoreCreation Unraveled | New from Threads by Lifeway
Had a chance this week to work my way through Creation Unraveled: The Gospel According to Genesis. New from Threads (Lifeway’s young adult line of curriculum), Creation Unraveled “explores how the first chapters of the Bible lay the foundation for the gospel of Jesus Christ.” Like the other titles from this series (Red Revolution, Abide,…
Read MoreWhat Percentage of Your Adults Are Actually Connected?
Yesterday I answered a very frequently asked question…after I pointed out that it is almost always the wrong question. Today, I begin sorting through what I think is a much better, much more important question (How do we connect the largest number of people?). But first…I want to set up the question by guiding you…
Read MoreWhat’s the Best Way for People to Sign Up and Commit to a Group?
What’s the best way for people to sign up and commit to a group? It’s a frequently asked question. It’s a fair question. It’s almost always the wrong question. How can it be the wrong question? Well…maybe it’s just the way it’s worded and the underlying meaning of the words, “sign up.” Here’s what I…
Read MoreMore from Kirby Holmes on Gateway’s Crowded House Strategy
Two of the most challenging first steps for an unchurched person are (1) from the parking lot to the worship center and (2) from the worship center to the living room. Searching for a way to make these steps easier? Yesterday I began an interview with Gateway’s Kirby Holmes about a strategy that might be…
Read MoreKirby Holmes on Gateway’s Crowded House Strategy
One of the most important current grouplife trends is the missional community. I began noticing blog posts and tweets about Gateway Church’s Crowded House strategy recently and wondered what that was about and if it was a version of missional community. I asked Kirby Holmes for the scoop and here’s what he had to say:…
Read MoreCheck Out These GroupLife Resources
Looking for grouplife resources? These are the great products that sponsor MarkHowellLive.com. Zondervan (Walking with God in the Desert) Live Like You Were Dying NavPress (Connecting in Communities) Lifeway (Building Biblical Community) ChurchTeams Liquid Twelve (The Global Online Gathering) I’m thankful for the sponsorship of these great companies. You can find out more about advertising at MarkHowellLive.com right here.
Read MoreTodd Engstrom on Austin Stone’s Missional Move (part 3)
Todd Engstrom is the Pastor of Missional Communities at Austin Stone and this is part three of a three part interview. You can read part one right here. Anything you’d do differently if you could do it over? Many things! Honestly, we would strive very hard to make the gospel the centerpiece and motivation for…
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