by Steve Cordle
Many cell churches work with the assumption that every believer can become a leader.
Now, that doesn’t mean that everyone is ready to be a leader today. They are not. Many are just beginning to walk with Christ, and others have not allowed the Lord to mature them enough to entrust them with leading a group. But, with discipleship and training, they can (indeed, should) become leaders of a group.
For years I have taught this, saying eveyone can grow to the point they can help someone else grow.
But when I looked at the results, I have seen that some fully-devoted devoted followers of Jesus have not seemed to be able to lead a cell effectively, but they can do 1 on 1 discipleship very well. Why?
Pastor Jimmy Seibert of Antioch Church helped me see that while everyone may be able to become a leader, not all will lead in the same context. Jimmy told me that some will grow to be leaders of 1, others leaders of 3, other 10, others even more.
While I resisted this idea for a while, I have found it better to tell the person who has not been effective at group leading to become a group member and disciple one other person than to lose them from the work entirely. No matter the number, it’s all about evangelism and disciple-making.
How has it worked in your setting?