August 26, 2023
Christian Standard editor Michael C. Mack, who died Thursday, wasn’t afraid to step out in faith. He switched from Catholicism to New Testament Christianity in his early 20s, gave up his business career to enter seminary, left his full-time job to launch a Christ-centered website, and became editor of a magazine for Christian leaders after two decades focused on small-group ministry. . . .
August 25, 2023
"It’s very hard to put into words my feelings upon hearing of the passing of Christian Standard editor Mike Mack on Thursday, Aug. 24," publisher Jerry Harris writes. "I am grieving the sudden loss of a friend and coworker even as I rejoice in his being welcomed to glory." . . .
September 27, 2019
By Michael C. Mack In his October Metrics column on small and very small churches, Kent Fillinger noted that “only 4 percent of very small churches relied on small groups as their primary form of discipleship.” That’s not surprising. Some might say very small churches are small groups. Well, that depends on how we define small groups, purely by size or by how they function. Tom Claibourne made this point in a 2012 Christian Standard article: “I have actually observed deeper interpersonal relationships, confession, and openness in the lives of Christians involved in small groups in large churches than I’ve
October 19, 2017
By Michael C. Mack As I edited this month”s articles about international missions and ministry, I noticed a trend. Most of our writers either quoted or referred to the Great Commission, namely Matthew 28:18-20, some in the first sentence or two. That makes sense. When we think about taking the gospel into all the world, we naturally think of this primary passage.  I hope this doesn”t sound sacrilegious, but we deleted that Scripture from some of the articles. Why? For one thing, we didn”t want the articles to become redundant, but also, we figure you know this verse well. I”m
July 12, 2017
By Michael C. Mack I don”t recall what the speaker said, but I”m sure his words were well-spoken and significant. I do remember, however, who that speaker was on that Sunday evening 21 years ago: Mark Taylor, who was at that time publisher at Standard Publishing Company. Mark had already played a key role in my life. When I worked in the New Products department at Standard in the early to mid-“90s, Mark was my boss. When I left to start a web-based small group ministry in 1995, he encouraged me and gave me opportunities to do freelance work, which
December 29, 2016
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
May 1, 2015
You are leading a small group or you want to start one to reach out to people who are struggling””in their marriages, in their jobs, with the lives and choices of their children, and sometimes with life itself. You are passionate about building a community that makes a difference. But what do you do when people tell you, over and over again, that they simply don”t have enough time for another commitment in their already stressed-out lives? This was the question Hasandra Heyward was dealing with. In response, she helped start a Women”s Online Growth Group and set up a
August 24, 2013
This is the time of year to plan for the long-term health, growth, and continual expansion of your small group ministry. Here are some tips for making that happen. By Michael C. Mack One of the most “reproductive” leaders I”ve ever known is Laura. I lost count of how many times her group multiplied. Since she was an expert, I asked her to conduct a training session for other leaders on how to multiply a group. Her response offers a clue to the secret of multiplication: “I have no idea what to teach others about this,” she told me. “It
April 18, 2013
By Susan Lawrence “My senior staff member just went behind my back and told my volunteer team about plans for significant change in my ministry before I was informed. What”s up with that?” “Why can”t my team just do what needs to be done without being babysat? What happened to personal motivation and responsibility?” “It”s time for change, and I don”t care what the rest of the staff thinks. They need to get on board or leave.” Working with ministry staff and volunteers is tough. Individuals bring their teams different personalities, experiences, and skills; and those differences can lead to
January 24, 2011
By Brian Jones A few years ago I brought in a nationally recognized pastor to do some consulting for our church. One of the things I remember most about my time with him was a side conversation we had about small groups. “I haven’t really figured out the small group thing,” I confessed to him. “Well, Brian, that’s because they don’t work. Small groups are things that trick us into believing we’re serious about making disciples. The problem is 90 percent of small groups never produce one single disciple. Ever. They help Christians make shallow friendships, for sure. They’re great
January 4, 2009
By Brian Mavis What would happen if a church gave back to her small groups half of what the groups tithed and asked them to invest the money in ministry? I had pondered this for a few years. I wondered whether the people in the small groups would be motivated to give more, and what they would choose to do with the money. When I joined the staff at LifeBridge Christian Church, Longmont, Colorado, I shared some of these thoughts and questions with the leaders and elders, and I was floored when they said, “Let”s find out.” Before I share
August 27, 2008
By Mark A. Taylor Mike Mack and Brian Jones probably wouldn”t agree about everything. But both of them have expressed enough concerns about traditional small group ministry to make every group leader or participant think twice. Brian, who blogs at BrianJones.com, posted a series of outspoken entries this summer under the general heading “Why Churches Should Euthanize Their Small Groups (and what we should replace them with).” “I believe in creating disciples,” he wrote June 17 to introduce his topic. “And I believe this is what the church is called to do. But in most instances disciples are created in
June 8, 2008
By Michael C. Mack READ THE MAIN ARTICLE: “Good to Great Groups” READ THE SIDEBAR: “God’s Word on Great Shepherds” Â Â Great small groups require great leaders, and great small group leaders are shepherds””spiritual guides for the group God has entrusted to their care. But not everyone believes that. To get more people into small groups, some churches are launching hundreds of groups at a time with “facilitators” or “hosts” rather than shepherd-leaders. An attitude of “anyone will do” prevails today when looking for people to start new groups. Some churches use slogans such as “If you have a
June 8, 2008
By Dale Reeves There is more than small talk today about small groups. There are churches with groups, churches composed of groups, and churches that are groups (i.e., the house church movement). In his book Creating Community, lead pastor Andy Stanley says of Northpoint Community Church, “Small groups are not an appendage to our ministry; they are our ministry. We think groups. We are driven by groups.” According to The Barna Group, approximately 11 million people, or 55 percent of America”s 20 million evangelicals, participate in some kind of small group each week. More than two-thirds of American churches use
July 8, 2007
By Staff Faith Café is just another example of the Bible-teaching tools Standard Publishing provides for the local church. In addition to our Bible-teaching tools for children and teenagers, used by thousands of churches, Faith Café is the latest of several new products we”re offering to help adults study God”s Word. For example, our line of small groups materials is growing.   “¢ We”ve just introduced four innovative Tuning Into God small groups guides. Your group will listen to the music and then learn from God”s Word with each of these six-session guides: Songs from “The Beatles 1″ (item
July 5, 2006
Friendly fire in ministry can leave lasting wounds—especially in worship wars and staff changes. Becky Ahlberg urges church leaders to invest in development, check motives, and plan transitions that build up rather than tear down.
April 9, 2006
Founded in 1824, Mountain Christian Church blends longstanding community trust with a future-focused mission. Leaders emphasize conversion growth through preaching, worship, and community service, supported by a robust small-group system and a strategic church plant in White Marsh.
January 29, 2006
Church life often assumes extroverted norms. Mandy Smith explains what introverts are (and aren’t), how common church practices can overwhelm them, and practical ways leaders can create authentic space for introverts’ gifts and growth.
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