Articles for tag: Michael Mack

January 1, 2024

David Faust

What Motivates You?

By David Faust  Remember the song “Winter Wonderland”? It contains a line about a talking snowman that a cheery couple imagines to be an ordained minister. They nickname him Parson Brown. “Are you married?” he asks, and they respond, “No man, but you can do the job when you’re in town.”  Parson comes from the Latin persona. In the past, some ministers were called “parsons” and their homes were known as “parsonages.” In his Commentaries on the Laws of England, the 18th-century legal expert Sir William Blackstone wrote that a parson’s job is to “carry out the business of the

August 31, 2023

Michael C. Mack

THROWBACK THURSDAY: ‘A Heart for God’ (2010)

"What do you want to be known for?" Michael C. Mack asked in this article from 2010. "What would you want people to say about you when you die? What do you want written in your obituary?" These questions are all the more appropriate and poignant because Mike, our editor, died one week ago today. . . .

September 18, 2014

Michael C. Mack

Go Away to Get Inside

By Michael C. Mack One way to know you have an intimate relationship with the Father is when you hear and recognize his voice (John 10:1-5). The only way to do that is to spend time alone with him. But that”s not easy in our fast-paced lives. In ministry we tend to spend a lot of time with other people in community, and that”s good! But as Dietrich Bonhoeffer said, solitude and community go hand in hand for spiritually healthy people. Jesus modeled this for us. Luke 5:16 says, “Jesus often withdrew [from crowds of people] to lonely places and

July 7, 2014

Michael C. Mack

Restoring Biblical Community

By Michael C. Mack People often ask me why I am so fanatical about small groups. I could provide many theological and statistical reasons, but my personal passion comes from one source: my life has been personally, profoundly transformed, many times actually, in the authentic, Christ-centered community of small groups. Beyond that, as a minister and small group coach and consultant, I have the privilege to see God use the community of healthy groups as the environment where discipleship occurs. If you were to compare your group (or church) to the New Testament model of authentic community, how would you

June 2, 2014

Michael C. Mack

Is It Time to Quit or Time to Commit?

By Michael C. Mack June is perhaps the best time of the year to assess the small group(s) under your care and review your own leadership. How are you doing as a steward of the people God has entrusted to you? Over the years, I”ve seen many leaders either call it quits or decide to recommit when June rolled around. Let”s face it. Leading a small group is a big commitment. It”s a calling by God to invest your life into the lives of other people, to allow God to use you to bring about transformation as only he can.

January 17, 2014

Michael C. Mack

“˜I Don”t Have Time for a Small Group”

By Michael C. Mack Consumer Christians may be the most likely to claim they”re too busy to join a group. It”s not a new excuse, and I”ve decided on some strategies for confronting it. “I”d like to be in a small group, but I just don”t have the time right now.” I have heard that phrase/excuse 7,463 times since getting involved in small group ministry. But who”s counting? It used to frustrate me whenever I heard it. Sometimes I”d argue with the antiparticipant, using my best biblical and sociological case for group involvement. But that never worked. As a small

December 1, 2013

Michael C. Mack

What Are God”s Goals for Your Group Next Year?

By Michael C. Mack What”s God going to do in and through your small group in 2014? Now is the time to prayerfully ask that question, set some goals, and make some plans for next year and beyond. Perhaps you need to confront the brutal facts of your current reality, as author Jim Collins put it in Good to Great, “When you start with an honest and diligent effort to determine the truth of your situation, the right decisions often become self- evident.” That”s what we did at Northeast Christian Church several years ago. We wanted to determine if our

October 20, 2013

Michael C. Mack

Restoring Life to Your Small Group

By Michael C. Mack QUESTION: Our small group started strong, but now it”s dead. We launched around an eight-week churchwide campaign. The first meeting had all the signs of a successful group, but by week five couples who had been so excited about being in a group started making excuses why they couldn”t stick with their commitment. One by one they began to drop out. To make the group more convenient, we began meeting every other week. The group dwindled even more. People lost track of when we were meeting and didn”t come. Finally we just decided to pronounce the

June 29, 2013

Michael C. Mack

Five Ways to Make July the Best Month Ever for Your Small Group

By Michael C. Mack July is the most important month of the year for the health and development of your small group. You may think I”ve spent too much time in the sun: Some groups are not even meeting through the summer; attendance is down in other groups; weekly meetings have been bumped by trips to the beach and baseball games. I”m not as crazy as you might think, however. Over the years, I”ve noticed groups that are growing and making an impact are involved in at least five vital practices during July.   Pray Research has shown the most

February 23, 2013

Michael C. Mack

Ten Tips for Making Your Groups Less Scary

By Michael C. Mack The first time I attended a small group meeting, I drove around the block several times before finally getting up the nerve to walk up to the door of the host home. This was one of the scariest experiences of my life! I didn”t know what to expect and wondered if I”d fit in. Over the years, I”ve loosened up, and I”ve also learned how to make groups more inviting and accepting for new people. Here are 10 ideas.   1. Pay attention to the timing. When is the best time to invite a friend to

December 2, 2012

Michael C. Mack

How (Not) to Kill (or Split) a Small Group

By Michael C. Mack   Question: How do you kill an unhealthy group? Answer: I believe this question begins with a faulty premise. I agree that some small groups are unhealthy, but I don”t think that warrants killing them off. Perhaps the person who asked this question read Brian Jones”s controversial column in the January 23, 2011, Christian Standard titled, “Why Churches Should Euthanize Small Groups.” “Modern-day small groups are led, for the most part,” Jones wrote, “by people who have attended the church, had a conversion experience, led a reasonably moral life, and can read the study-guide questions, but

November 25, 2012

Michael C. Mack

Big Picture Questions about Small Groups

By Michael C. Mack QUESTION: What is the purpose of small groups? Are they to evangelize or edify? Is the emphasis on fellowship (helping people in the church get to know one another better), assimilation (getting new people connected into the body so they don”t leave the church), ministry (serving others outside the group), or multiplication (growing the church by growing the number of groups)? Can small groups meet at the church building on Sunday morning (like Sunday school), or must they meet at a different time in a different place? ANSWER: These are all great questions, but I think

September 15, 2012

Michael C. Mack

Facilitate so Your Group can Participate

By Michael C. Mack Question: Last year, I struggled to get my group involved in discussion, serving together, or doing much of anything else outside meeting times. As we restart our group this fall, what advice would you give me as a leader to help my group participate more? Answer: Great question! Here are 10 ideas from my experience to help get your group more involved.   1. Plan. Before getting started, decide on some plans and goals for the group for this fall and beyond. People want a purpose for being together, a sense that the group is striving

June 14, 2012

Christian Standard

Rah-Rah for the Christian Standard

By J.K. Jones Jr. “Rah-Rah” for the CHRISTIAN STANDARD! This is so unlike me to want to lead a cheer for a 146-year-old magazine (founded in 1866 by Isaac Errett), but here I am acting the fool. Those who know me could attest that I prefer a quiet life outside of the public eye. I tend toward encouraging others to stand up and speak out, but at least in this one instance, I find myself uncontrollably vocal. I”d like to take a few minutes and tell you why I”m imitating King David who “was dancing before the Lord with all

May 31, 2012

Michael C. Mack

Eight Vital Characteristics of a Life-Changing Small Group Leader

By Michael C. Mack One of the fundamental differences between healthy and unhealthy small groups is the spiritual vitality of the leaders. Healthy leaders have a soft heart that God can use to accomplish his will. While imperfect, they are highly committed first to God, and then to the group. Healthy leaders have the following attributes:   Healthy small group leaders have been transformed. One of your main functions as a small group leader is to build an environment where spiritual transformation is experienced. This happens best when you have first experienced transformation yourself. What happened to Peter and the other

May 10, 2012

Michael C. Mack

The Most Vital Small Group Principle

By Michael C. Mack I want to lead a healthy, growing small group. What is the single most important thing I need to know? In 20-plus years of leading groups and talking to and with many others leading groups, I”ve learned this: There are many skills and techniques leaders can use to make their groups better. But the best way to determine if your small group is healthy involves self-diagnosing one particular vital sign. A healthy group is Christ-centered. Christ is the real leader, and the group is primarily focused on him, experiencing his presence, carrying out his purposes, and

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