by Steve Cordle

Developing an outward-oriented mindset in our groups and churches may be simpler –and maybe harder — than we think.

Knowing that the older a church gets the less outwardly-focused it tends to be, I once asked Larry Kreider “From your experience, what are the keys to keeping a church fired up about evangelism?”

He replied, “You don’t really want to know.”

“Sure, I do”, I said.

“Well,” he said, “the churches which stay strong in evangelism have pastors who are  evangelistic.”

Larry was saying it was the heart of the leader that mattered most, not a program or practice.

Jesus said, “A student is not above his teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like his teacher.” (Luke 6:40)

As leaders, it is sobering to realize that our groups and churches are becoming a little more like us everyday. So the first place to look for the key to vital outreach is in our hearts. Is my heart increasingly reflecting Jesus’ passion for the lost? Am I personally connecting with preChristians? Am I praying specifically for a few people I know? If so, it is likely my group, my staff, and my church, will be doing the same.

by Rob Campbell

www.cypresscreekchurch.com

Joel’s post yesterday encouraged the cell church to be on mission.  Ideally, every cell should be on mission.  A cell should commit to being missionaries in the neighborhood, city, and/or world.  Seeing outside of the cell gathering and participating in kingdom work by serving others breathes life into a cell.

Let me suggest a few thoughts concerning the cell church being on mission.

First, start by partnering with a few ministries/missionaries/pastors versus supporting a whole array of individuals around the world.  In other words, “do a few well.”  As God grants you more opportunities, then pray and consider expanding your missions support.

Next, connect with those whom you support heart to heart.  Don’t simply send money.  Begin and nurture a life giving relationship.

Third, go visit your ministry partners around the world at least once a year.  If you personally can’t go, then make sure a person from your church family journeys to the particular site.  Such trips will prove to be encouraging to your ministry partners around the world.  Further, you will see their ministry site, the circumstances of their geographical area, and more.  In essence, you will be able to appreciate their ministries in a deeper way.

Finally, make sure that someone in your church family is praying for your ministry partners around the world every day.  Recently, I was in Thessaloniki, Greece teaching at a church that is one of our ministry partners.  I said, “Please know that at least one person from Cypress Creek Church is praying for you every day.”  The place exploded with applause….shouts….and tears.  They were shocked and very thankful for our prayers.  

Comments?  

I just got back Saturday evening from a CCMN (Cell Church Mission Network) conference in Mexico Cty. 3500 people were registered. I, Mario Vega, Ben Wong, and Edmundo Guillén spoke 4Xs each (Edmundo is senior pastor of Lluvias de Gracia, a huge cell church in Guatemala). I felt that Ben Wong raised the bar for the rest of us. Not only is Ben a very engaging speaker, but the theme of his messages were absolutely right on. Ben spoke on the need to send missionaries around the world–especially to the 10-40 area of the world ( this is the area which has the highest level of poverty and the least access to the Christian message).

Ben reminded us about the need to connect cell church with missions. Cell churches are all about raising up new leaders–they are leader breeders. Yet often we don’t go far enough. We raise up cell leaders for our own churches but fail to cast the vision for missionary church planting around the world.

Those who have led a cell group, multiplied it and coached the new leader (s) have a great foundation to plant cell churches worldwide. Jesus longs to send some of those fruitful leaders to mission field–especially the 10-40 window.

What has been your experience with connecting cells and missions?

Joel Comiskey

by Mario Vega

In response to the questions posted on this blog I must say that Elim church’s cell system has only two meetings per week. One is the planning meeting and the other one is the cell meeting itself.

Last week I wrote regarding the planning meeting. The cell meeting is, as it’s well known, the one that has the purpose of multiplication, evangelism, fellowship and teaching.

Some churches have made their own adjustments. I know of a church that dedicates its one week meeting for the cells’ nucleus to plan, on the next week they carry out the cell meeting with the guests. In this case, they conduct their cell meetings with guests every two weeks. This is another way to do it.

The purpose of presenting this element of Elim’s model is only to advise the importance of keeping in mind the planning principle. Each church must develop its own model according to their unique circumstances. In El Salvador having these two meetings per week has given us good results. This is only our experience.

Comments?

Mario

DOS REUNIONES CELULARES POR SEMANA

Respondiendo a preguntas hechas a éste blog debo decir que el sistema de células de iglesia Elim tiene solamente dos reuniones por semana. Una es la reunión de planificación y la otra es la reunión de célula propiamente dicha.

Con respecto a la reunión de planificación fue que escribí la semana anterior. La reunión de célula es la que, como se sabe, tiene por propósito la multiplicación, la evangelización, la comunión y la enseñanza.

Algunas iglesias han hecho sus propias adecuaciones. Sé de una iglesia que dedica la reunión de una semana para que el núcleo de la célula planifique, la siguiente
semana realizan la reunión de célula con los invitados. En este caso, ellos realizan las reuniones con los invitados cada dos semanas. Es otra forma de hacerlo.

El propósito de dar a conocer éste elemento del modelo de Elim es solamente para que se tenga el cuidado de tener presente el principio de la planificación. Cada iglesia debe desarrollar su propio modelo de acuerdo a sus circunstancias únicas. En El Salvador nos ha dado resultado el tener estas dos reuniones por semana. Es solamente nuestra experiencia.

by Rob Campbell

www.cypresscreekchurch.com

Recently, a leader from a cell church contacted me concerning finding a pastor.  Now, my preference is to lift up individuals from one’s own church to serve as pastors.  However, I am aware of the fact that this is not the only way to secure pastors for cell churches.

Therefore, if you are a cell church looking for a pastor, then what resources do you utilize?  Further, if you are interested in pastoring a cell church, then how do you find one that may be interested in you?

Let’s comment about “finding a pastor…finding a church.”  Maybe we can be used of God to partner some folks together in ministry.  Please comment.

I’d also be interested in hearing your thoughts on lifting up members from within your church family to pastor versus calling men/women from outside your church family to pastor.  Now, this should be some intriguing interaction, eh?

Take a few minutes and comment

On October 01, my new book Planting Churches that Reproduce: Starting a Network of Simple Churches will be available. As I’ve been preparing the last draft I’ve reflected once again at the simple nature of church planting experienced in the New Testament. God chose to plant His church in the home environment to testify to the new family, Christ’s church. Meeting in homes brought faith down to daily living.

My favorite book on church planting is Creating Communities of the Kingdom. David Shenk and Ervin Stutzman, experienced church planters, write:

“We read that the church grew and multiplied exceedingly as neighbor told neighbor the news of Jesus Christ. We may assume that as the little living rooms became packed with people, the groups divided and new cells were formed. Soon the original 100 or so congregations multiplied and became hundreds of small groups fellowships throughout the whole metropolitan area. They witnessed with power and persuasiveness to the saving acts of God.”

Imagine the electrifying atmosphere of the early church. Leaders and churches spontaneously multiplied and filled the city. Is anything like that happening today?

As I speak to people in ministry, I keep hearing about the effectiveness of Antioch Community Church in Waco, Texas. Jimmy Seibert, the founding pastor of ACC was radically transformed at the age of seventeen. He started small groups on the Baylor University Campus that eventually grew to 600 students on four campuses. He and some of the students wrote a book called Reaching College Students through Cells. In 1999 Jimmy started ACC.

ACC has sent out 212 people to plant cell-church planting movements all over the world (twenty-four nations). ACC has never been content to grow one church larger and larger. Yet as the mother church gives itself away, it keeps growing (130 LIFE groups and 2500 members). Like the NT church, God has called them to become a church planting movement. Jimmy once told me that churches need to offer their people a practical missionary vision to reach the world. As a college pastor, he noticed that parachurch organization were often more mission focused than the church. “God’s plan is for the church to offer a world vision. Young people long to give themselves to a world changing vision,” Jimmy said.

ACC breathes the principle of multiplication–groups, leaders, churches, and missionaries. Each year ACC offers either a missions conference or a church planting conference on a rotating basis.

Antioch believes and teaches the need for brokenness and the filling of the Holy Spirit that result in radical obedience. This church emphasizes very plain, clear Biblical concepts, I thought to myself. They practice what other churches only read about in the Bible. I pressed Jimmy about what model he was following and he kept on coming back to their desire to follow Biblical principles. “We don’t do the simple things well so we get caught up in the outward” he told me.

Sean Richmond left ACC ten years ago to plant a church in Boston, MA. Like other church planters, Sean started a LIFE group that multiplied and eventually turned into a once per month celebration service. As the LIFE groups grew and multiplied, they eventually grew into a weekly celebration service. The church in Boston now has some twenty LIFE groups and 300 people worshipping in a local high school gym. Yet their goal is to start a movement. They were excited to send out their first missionary church planting team to a restricted access country.

Robert Herber, recently planted an ACC church in San Diego, CA. Although brought up in a Christian home, he didn’t start walking with God until coming in contact with passionate people from ACC at Baylor University. He also caught fire, grew in the Lord, and eventually raised support to plant a church (all church planters raise their own support). Like all church planters from ACC, Robert gathered together a team. The church planting team from Antioch joined together to start the first LIFE group. Through the initial pilot group they prepared San Diegans to be the leaders of the future LIFE groups. Their goal is to win as many people as possible to Jesus and to start LIFE groups in the process. Robert wrote, “Today two more students were saved. Our next door neighbor and then the pitcher of the baseball team!”

The home LIFE group is the basis for church planting at Antioch. It was also the foundation for early church planting. You can now read about ACC through Jimmy Seibert’s new book The Church Can Change the World.

Comments?

Joel Comiskey