Month: March 2007

Have we over-emphasized the role of the senior pastor in cell church ministry? I talked with a team of volunteer elders last night who are pastoring a growing cell church plant in Toronto, Canada. Since I’m coaching this church, I’m becoming more and more acquainted with who they are and where they’re going.

I came away from my coaching session last night very impressed with the growth and progress in this church–and it was all happening without the strong direction of a senior pastor! These four elders were fully pastoring the church; they just weren’t getting paid for it. They were also 100% committed to the cell vision and actively invovled in cell ministry. The church had more people attending cell than celebration and there was a consensus that they were going in the right direction.

I was once again reminded that only Jesus can grow His church. When a church is properly shepherded and the people are reaching out to lost men and women, the church will grow. Life begets life. Health has a way of attracting others.

Yet, I’ve seen over and over that the pastoral team is absolutely essential in promoting that health and making it happen. Lone ranger pastors have a much harder time making it work. What’s your read on team ministry? Have we over-emphasized the senior pastor’s role and neglected the place of team minisry?

Joel

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