One of the strengths of the cell church is that so much ministry is put in the hands of the people of the church. Cell church pastors seek to equip cell leaders to evangelize, disciple, and pastor others.
While pastors might need to be reminded and encouraged to make the ministry hand off to the cell leader, it is just as vital that the leader be ready to accept the hand-off.
Sometimes cell leaders shy away from truly pastoring or discipling someone in their group because they say to themselves “Who am I to be doing that? I’m just a volunteer…”
Whether it is openly discussed or not, lurking beneath the surface of group life and leadership is the issue of authority.
For cell ministry to work best, group leaders need to realize they receive their authority from two sources:
1. The senior pastor/church leadership
2.God
I’ll look at the first source today and the second next week.
Cell leaders need to understand that they have delegated authority from the senior pastor. When they go into a hospital room to pray for a member, they are there in the pastor’s behalf. When they lead the group in a specified manner, it is because it is in keeping with the way the church’s senior leadership has equipped and empowered them to do so. Cell leaders are not leading their separate congregation, they are an expression of the ministry of the church and the pastoral staff.
So, for example, if a group member wants to change the direction and content of the cell, the leader can say “No, this is the way our church does our ministry, and I support it fully.”
Also, this gives group members a sense of security. They know that a cell leader ministering in the name of the church is equipped and accountable to the pastors. What do the rest of you think?
Steve