Month: April 2009

by Rob Campbell

www.cypresscreekchurch.com

My next three posts (each weekly post arriving to you on Wednesdays) will concentrate on evaluating the health of a cell church.  These thoughts were a collaborative effort of the pastoral team at CCC.  However, the lead runner concerning “Evaluating a Cell Network” was Pastor Michele Gooch (CCC’s Inter-Generational Network Pastor).   Certainly, we understand that these thoughts are not perfect.  Yet, my hope is that they will provide a framework for you to consider growth and health in your context.

A Typical Cell Church Evaluates Health by Measuring:

• Number of Cells
• Number of Multiplications
• Number of members in a Cell
• Number of baptisms per Cell
• Number of people on the “training track”
• Percentage of Celebration attendees in cells

A few questions.  Are the measurements cited above a true assessment of health?  Does your church track such data?

Comments?

I’m alway encouraging people to write their dream book. And I’m especially thrilled when it involves cell church. Richard Houle, an experienced cell church pastor and key visionary, has a vision to write a book on cell church planting via the missionary team concept. And he has the experience to back up his writings.

I was with Richard and the network of cell church plants a few months ago in Gransby, Quebec. The darknes and unbelief in that region is great, but God is greater and is moving among a small movement of cell churches. Richard would like to complete his book in a couple years, so I was glad when he sent me the first chapter for review. I asked to refresh our readers with the concept of the missionary planting team:

“From a traditional Baptist Church in Quebec, Canada to a cell church planting movement.

In 1994, we started the process of transitioning the 250 people from the mother church in Granby. Quebec, into a cell church. It took us 7 years to transition. We lost 60 members. Tough for a pastor’s heart! But from those heartbreaks, the Lord called many leaders through coaching in the G12 model. They began to make disciples, and train as elders, evangelists, etc.

Then the Lord called clearly the two oldest pastors in their fifties to form our first missionary team, myself included. We were reliving Acts 13 where the Spirit called Paul and Barnabas to plant churches. One of the younger pastor took the lead of the mother church, to free the missionary team overseeing cell church plants. We felt we needed to change our approach, not let the church plants depend on the mother church, but let it be overseen by the missionary team. This new structure has worked very well for us.

There are now 3 church planters. We are at our 4th church plant in five years, in a culture very closed to the gospel. They are yet little plants (between 20-55 people in each plant), but with growing eagerness. Already the oldest plant consider to plant an English church just along the French Church in the same city. The goal is to see 15 church plants in the next 10 years. The obstacles are very great, the battle is fierce, but the Lord is on our side.

__

Thanks, Richard!

 

Joel Comiskey

by Mario Vega

The evangelization work through cells becomes more effective when Christians penetrate the various areas of society. For that reason, we encourage our members to actively take part solving the problems of their communities.

Several Christians have taken our call seriously and take part in neighborhood committee. Some of these committee/boards are working on solving problems such as of the water service, projects to provide electricity, and paving of streets.

The involvement of Christians in these projects place them in a privileged position to let their light and love shine toward their neighbors. We’ve even found that often believers will end up assuming the most important positions as Presidents or Treasurers; which is the result of the good testimony and sincere work of the brethren.

Others have become involved in recycling. Some have come to establish small businesses that employ other Christians. And one of them showed such dedication to this cause that he recently won the elections as a member of his City Council.
When Christians connect in this way with their communities, the work of giving a good testimony onto the people and leading them to Christ is much more efficient.

Comments?

Mario

Translation in Spanish

Relaciones con las comunidades.

El trabajo de evangelización a través de las células cobra mayor efectividad cuando los cristianos penetran las diversas esferas de la sociedad. Por ese motivo, animamos a nuestros miembros para que tomen parte activa en solucionar las dificultades de sus comunidades.

Varios cristianos han tomado en serio nuestro llamado y forman parte de directivas en sus vecindarios. Algunas de estas directivas trabajan en resolver problemas tales como el de servicio de agua, proyectos de introducción de electricidad, pavimentación de calles, etc.

El involucramiento de los cristianos en esos proyectos les coloca en una posición privilegiada para dejar brillar su luz y su amor a sus vecinos. Normalmente, los cristianos terminan asumiendo las posiciones más importantes como la de Presidente o Tesorero. Lo cual es el resultado del buen testimonio y del trabajo sincero de los hermanos.

Otros, se han involucrado en la tarea del reciclaje. Algunos han llegado a establecer pequeñas empresas que dan trabajo a otros cristianos. Y uno de ellos mostró tanta dedicación a ésta causa que recientemente ganó las elecciones como miembro del Concejo Municipal de su ciudad.

Cuando los cristianos se conectan de esta manera con sus comunidades, el trabajo de dar testimonio a las personas y conducirlas a Cristo se vuelve mucho más eficiente.

by Jeff Tunnell

The first time I actually finished reading a large book voluntarily I was 15 years old.  My eyesight was poor and undiagnosed, so headaches would cause me to put reading aside without even knowing this was the cause.  An association of pain with reading was enough to forestall any progress.

My first pair of reading glasses came at age 16.  Shortly after that I became a Christian. My love for God’s word motivated me to become a serious reader. Although my skills were still weak and undeveloped, passion thrust me into reams of information!  Researching the ONE who gave himself for me, there were hours spent between the covers of the Bible; what a gift our Father has given to us.

The strength of “information” is when it supports “transformation”.  Knowledge puffs up when simply accumulated as a possession.  However, when the Holy Spirit breathes on the information, bringing revelation, this can underwrite transformation and breakthrough.

Reading Cell books (more than 40 by now) has directed much change in my life and ministry.  Many changes were made for expedience or necessity to conform to Cell church principles more closely.  The best changes have been the result of information that the Holy Spirit has given the sense of, producing passion for a more fruitful ministry that glorifies Jesus in every way.

When you read, pray for the Holy Spirit’s revelation.  Another statement in response to Rob’s blog yesterday: Readers ARE leaders and Leaders ARE readers.  Thank you Jesus for the Bible and great cell church authors who seek you while writing!

by Rob Campbell

www.cypresscreekchurch.com

John Maxwell is well known for the following quote:  “Everything rises and falls on leadership.”  It’s true, isn’t it?

I’m wondering– what leadership lessons are near and dear to your heart?

Further, would you be willing to share those lessons with this blog community?  You need not be wordy (as you may note this blog post is quite brief).

Let me share two of my favorite leadership lessons.

First, everyone will not be like you.

Next, everyone will not like you.

Post a comment.  Be brief.  One or two lines will be just fine.