Articles for tag: Michael C. Mack

June 1, 2017

Michael C. Mack

7 Summertime Youth Ministry Ideas

By Michael C. Mack Schedules open up for many teens over the summer months, so take advantage of that by spending unstructured time together. These times of hanging out together, even some one-on-one opportunities, can open doors to deeper spiritual conversations. Jonathan McKee, president of The Source for Youth Ministry (www.thesource4ym.com), gives four simple but effective ideas: 1. Beach Day. Take a group or just a few teens to the beach””whatever a “beach” looks like in your locale””and enjoy the time together. 2. Hike or Bike. Get away from TVs and social media and enjoy a day in God”s creation.

May 1, 2017

Michael C. Mack

Ministering to Moms on Mother”s Day

By Michael C. Mack Mother”s Day, and the weeks surrounding it, is a prime time to minister to the needs of moms in the community. Here are six ideas you can use: “¢ Teen Moms: Partner with a local teen or crisis pregnancy center to provide basic necessities such as nursing and newborn supplies, a rose, and a signed Mother”s Day card. “¢ Refugee Families: Contact a local organization that serves refugees to discover their needs, especially for moms in these families. Assemble care packages of gift certificates, groceries, and housewares, for instance, as well as a Bible and Mother”s

April 27, 2017

Michael C. Mack

No Repeat Group Prayer

By Michael C. Mack Do your group or class members get so caught up in “saying a prayer” and putting it into the right format with the right words that they miss having a conversation with one another and Jesus? Do people refuse to pray aloud because they think they”ll get it wrong? Does your group take prayer requests and then pray them back to God as if he isn”t present? Do people give answers to people”s problems or try to “fix” them during prayer requests? These activities make it clear on whose power the group members are most reliant.

April 4, 2017

Mark A. Taylor

Michael Mack Named Christian Standard Editor

Michael C. Mack has been named the 12th editor of CHRISTIAN STANDARD. Jerry Harris, newly appointed publisher of Christian Standard Media, announced that Mack will join him on the staff of the magazine, beginning with its July issue. “We at Christian Standard Media are truly blessed to have on our team the combination of talent and passion we find in Michael Mack!” Harris said. “We welcome Mike and his wife, Heidi, into a bright future with CHRISTIAN STANDARD.” Mack comes to the position with 28 years of experience in publishing, local church ministry, and national small groups leadership. He is

March 31, 2017

Michael C. Mack

How to Work with ‘Knowledge Workers’ in Your Ministry

By Michael C. Mack In today”s rapidly changing world, the most effective leaders do three things well: ask, listen, and learn. Whether they lead a church with a large number of staff or work directly with key volunteers, church leaders today must work well with “knowledge workers,” those Peter Drucker defines as people who know more about their role than their boss does. In business talent-management circles, managing knowledge workers has become a hot topic of discussion, leading to increased training and coaching of managers in this area. “It is hard to tell people what to do and how to

February 27, 2017

Michael C. Mack

How Ministers Can Respond to Financial Pressures

By Michael C. Mack CT Pastors recently reported, “Today, 90 percent of pastors feel financial stress in their family and church work, 76 percent of pastors know other pastors who left the ministry due to financial pressures, 31 percent of pastors work a second job to help make ends meet, and almost 60 percent of pastors do not receive health insurance or retirement funds from their church.” We asked pastors: What would help, or what would have helped you in responding well to these circumstances? Here are a few of the responses: “Some problems, not all by any means, could

February 27, 2017

Michael C. Mack

Raise the Sails to Lead Your Group or Class

By Michael C. Mack As sailing is a partnership between man and nature, spiritual growth is a collaborative effort between you and God. The term for Spirit is the same for that of wind in both the Old and New Testaments. The Holy Spirit is the wind that provides the driving force of all spiritual growth. You cannot bring about spiritual growth in your own life or the lives of those you lead, but neither are you a passive bystander. As the Holy Spirit moves, you must become engaged in that driving force. As a small group leader or teacher,

February 22, 2017

Christian Standard

Gateway Planning

By Michael C. Mack Spending time with God is your priority as a leader. But it doesn”t just happen. Use the following strategy questions to help you plan a time of solitude with God: How often will I get away alone with God? (Weekly, monthly, quarterly, annually?) How long will I spend alone with God? When will I get away to be alone with God? (Be specific!) Where will I go? What provisions do I need to make for getting away? (Asking for permission, lining up childcare, making financial arrangements, lining up a place to stay, etc.) On my getaways

February 6, 2017

Christian Standard

February Ministry Ideas

By Michael C. Mack February 5″”Super Bowl Sunday. For outreach ideas, go to the Super Bowl Outreach page of Sports Fan Outreach International: http://sfoi.org/super-bowl. February 11″”Make a Friend Day. Holiday Insights (www.holiday-insights.com) describes this day as “a great opportunity to meet someone new or do something to make a new friend.” Leverage this weekend to encourage church attendees to connect with others in community through small groups or other ministries. February 14″”Valentine”s Day. “¢ Throw a Valentine”s dance just for singles. Provide a fun, inviting opportunity for those who are tired of online dating and blind setups. (You might even

January 5, 2017

Michael C. Mack

5 Ways to Serve Moms & the Unborn

By Michael C. Mack Sunday, January 15, is National Sanctity of Human Life Sunday. Here are five ways to serve moms and the unborn: 1. Pray. “Men may spurn our appeals, reject our message, oppose our arguments, despise our persons, but they are helpless against our prayers.” “”J. Sidlow Baxter “¢Â Pray that women who have suffered abortion will come in contact with people who understand their pain and are able to minister forgiveness and healing. “¢Â Pray that churches and individual Christians will take a stand on this issue. “¢Â Pray for repentance for our nation. “¢Â Pray we will be committed to

December 29, 2016

Michael C. Mack

2016″s Best Websites for Small Group Leadership

These eight websites are divided into two categories: ministry organizations and individual bloggers. Ministry Organizations SmallGroups.com (www.SmallGroups.com) This ministry was founded by Michael C. Mack in 1995 and is now owned and operated by Christianity Today. The site is the starting place for small group and ministry leaders, and it”s easy to navigate and use. Much of the content is free, and the site also has premium content at low prices. Individual and church subscriptions are also available. Small Group Network (www.smallgroupnetwork.com) This truly is a network of small group point leaders from around the world who provide one another

December 26, 2016

Michael C. Mack

Make 2017 a New Year for Your Group or Class

By Michael C. Mack When we make resolutions, we usually emphasize what we will do under our own power and will. When we run out of willpower, we begin to fail at keeping those resolutions. For Christians, there”s a far better way. Move from New Year”s resolutions to spiritual reconstitutions! Here”s how. At your first group or class meeting of the new year, look at the list of what comprises the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22, 23 and discuss what each one looks like in everyday life. For instance, what would it look like to display love for

December 23, 2016

Michael C. Mack

What Is the Role of Greeters in Your Church?

By Michael C. Mack We conducted a survey through Facebook that asked, “What is the role of greeters in your church?” Respondents could select as many answers as applied. The results are displayed in the chart. “Other” included responses such as: introduce new people to regular attendees, usher to destination (e.g., class or worship center), make sure visitors know where everything is (e.g., nursery, restrooms, information), and just be a friend. Discovery Christian Church in Clearwater, Florida, takes a unique approach to greeting. “We don”t have “˜official” greeters, but everyone is an unofficial greeter,” says minister J. R. Carrel. “That

December 1, 2016

Michael C. Mack

Christmas Best Practices

By Michael C. Mack Pre-invite: Christmas Movie Celebration Host a Christmas film fest, featuring family-friendly Christmas movies, at the church building or another community gathering place. Serve seasonal foods and refreshments, and encourage church attendees to invite their friends. This may be a great way to “pre-invite” people and help them get to know others before your Christmas services. Invite Friends to Christmas Services. According to a recent LifeWay Research study, 61 percent of Americans attend church services at Christmastime. Which means, of course, that 4 out of 10 people do not attend. Yet, among those who don”t attend church

November 3, 2016

Michael C. Mack

National Diabetes Month

By Michael C. Mack November is National Diabetes Month in the United States. In 2012, 29.1 million Americans, or 9.3 percent of the population, had diabetes. Here are a few ideas for your church or group: “¢ Host a family diabetes gathering. Invite a local representative from the American Diabetes Association (ADA) or a diabetes educator to speak and answer questions. Provide a healthy meal. “¢ Provide information about diabetes, which can be found on the ADA website, www.diabetes.org, or from a local office or a local endocrinology office. Help clear up many of the common myths about diabetes. “¢

November 3, 2016

Michael C. Mack

November/December Ministry Ideas: Giving Tuesday

By Michael C. Mack You know about Thanksgiving and the special shopping days that have become associated with it, Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Now you can add another special day the Tuesday after Thanksgiving (November 29, 2016), a global day dedicated to giving back called Giving Tuesday. “It”™s a simple idea,” says the holiday”™s official website, www.givingtuesday.org. “Whether you come together with your family, your community, your company or your organization, find a way to give back.” Giving Tuesday was created in 2012 by 92nd Street Y (www.92y.org) in partnership with the United Nations Foundation and has engaged more

October 27, 2016

Michael C. Mack

The Pastor”™s Wife: 7 Discoveries She Wishes She Had Understood Sooner

By Michael C. Mack Christine Hoover has been a pastor”™s wife for 14 years and is author of The Church Planting Wife. She says when she and her husband, Kyle, started in ministry, she felt unprepared and afraid. After all, she says, “There is no training ground for ministry life for the pastor”™s wife, there is just the doing it.” If she could go back in time to the beginning of their ministry life together, she says on her blog at www.gracecoversme.com, she”™d tell that young girl these seven things: 1.  Humbly yet boldly accept the opportunity to influence others

October 20, 2016

Michael C. Mack

What Operating System Is Your Church Using?

By Michael C. Mack Chris Lagerlof is the executive catalyst at Mission Orange County (www.missionoc.org). In a Q&A with Exponential (www.exponential.org), “a growing community of leaders committed to accelerating the multiplication of healthy, reproducing faith communities,” Lagerlof talked about the biggest aha”™s he had while reading Becoming a Level 5 Multiplying Church by Todd Wilson and Dave Ferguson. He says he was moved by Chapter 1, “Rethinking Our Operating System.” He was especially struck by Wilson”™s words: Pause and reflect on the potential unintended consequences [of the prevailing operating systems, especially in megachurches]. We are called to make biblical disciples

October 13, 2016

Michael C. Mack

Seven Tips from Twitter on Facilitating a Group or Class

By Michael C. Mack Michael C. Mack (@michaelcmack) tweets “Small Group Leader TIPS of the Day” every weekday. Here are seven tips on facilitating a great group meeting: “¢Â  Don”™t be the small group answer man or woman. Let group members experience aha moments. “¢Â  Become comfortable answering questions with, “I don”™t know, but let”™s all find out this week.” “¢Â  As you study God”™s Word together, “remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it.” “¢Â  Try different approaches to Bible study (e.g., read various “I will” statements of God and discuss/apply).

September 22, 2016

Michael C. Mack

10 Business Books Every Ministry Leader Should Read

By Michael C. Mack We asked ministry leaders to tell us what book written primarily for business leaders they”™ve found helpful in their ministry leadership. “¢ The Contrarian”™s Guide to Leadership, by Steven B. Sample. “It helped me think past the clichés of leadership to practices that reflect what I think is a leader”™s honest self-evaluation before God.” “”Jon Weatherly, professor of New Testament, dean of the School of Bible and Theology at Johnson University, Knoxville, Tennessee, and Kissimmee, Florida “¢ The Advantage: Why Organizational Health Trumps Everything Else in Business, by Patrick Lencioni. “So much good stuff about why

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