Month: June 2009

by Steve Cordle

A couple of years ago I had the chance to sit down with Jimmy Siebert, pastor of Antioch Church in Waco, Texas. I had been so impressed with the quality of the leaders at Antioch, I asked him how he went about developing leaders. His answer revolved around three questions he asked people (leader or not) when interacting with them:

1) How is your devotional life?

We all know this is essential not only for leadership, but life! But when was the last time someone looked you in the eye and asked you how your time with Jesus was going? When was the last time you asked the question of a leader you work with?
Thus is not a yes/no questions, but what’s happening. “Share with me something the Lord said recently…” When the person has been meeting with Jesus regularly, their answer will encourage and bless you! When they haven’t, you have a chance to encourage them in this direction.

2) Who are you discipling?

This question sets the expectation that everyone should be discipling someone else. It may be that the person has never thought about doing so. Then you have the chance to encourage them to pray for God to show them who they can come along side of, and how to go about setting up that relationship.

3) Who are you seeking to lead to Christ and how is it going?

Repeatedly asking this question keeps the evangelistic temperature of the church growing. It’s also a great way to be blessed when you hear them share their efforts!

Thanks for the three questions, Jimmy!

Steve Cordle

I was talking to a youth pastor last week about multiplication. “What is the KEY to multiply groups?” he asked. “What is the secret of cell multiplication?” My anxious mind raced to find an answer. I want to act like I know what I’m talking about, I thought.

My thoughts stopped at one theme. It’s the same theme that Mario Vega covered in last week’s blog on helping leaders to multiply cells. Mario concluded, “Today after all these years, I believe the key issue lies in training. Every leader is able to multiply the cell if he or she is properly trained and guided. I believe that multiplication is not reached by removing leaders, but by training them for the multiplication task.” [italics and bold mine]

I believe the KEY to multiply groups is to equip potential leaders who will in turn plant new groups or hive off daughter cells. Some of the best worldwide cell churches set future cell multiplication goals based on how many they expect to graduate from the equipping track. If eight will graduate by October, for example, they might set a goal of five new groups. Multiplication, in other words, is not something that happens by osmosis.

The most important task for the current cell leader is to make sure that one or more cell members are in the equipping process. Otherwise, there is very little chance that multiplication will actually take place.

I’m currently taking one couple through our equipping track on Wednesday night and another single guy on Thursday morning. I’m confident that both will eventually lead a cell group in our church. I’m not 100% sure they will do so, but I have a reasonable hope. Without a clear equipping process, however, we can talk about multiplication KEYS until we’re blue in the face, but it probably won’t happen.

What are your thoughts/ questions on this issue?

Joel

by Mario Vega

We soon realized after beginning cell ministry that there were leaders who failed to multiply their cells at the pace that others did. Not knowing what to do, we sent a fax to Pastor David Cho, pastor of Yoido Full Gospel Church, asking him what to do with such leaders. He responded fairly quickly: “First make sure that the leader has learned the system’s principles. If he doesn’t achieve multiplication, after being properly taught, he must be sent to fast for a week. If after doing, so he still can’t multiply his cell, he must be suspended as a leader”.

For a while these recommendations were followed to the letter. Sometimes they worked, sometimes they didn’t. Today after all these years, I believe the key issue lies in training. Every leader is able to multiply the cell if he or she is properly trained and guided. I believe that multiplication is not reached by removing leaders, but by training them for the multiplication task.

The supervisor’s work plays a key role in this; he must be attentive to every leader.  This will allow him to identify each leader’s weaknesses in order to train him and to bring him to an acceptable work level.

What is your experience in this field?

Mario

Translation into Spanish

¿Qué se hace con un lder que no multiplica su célula?

Cuando iniciamos el trabajo celular pronto nos dimos cuenta que haba lderes que no lograban multiplicar sus células al ritmo que otros lo hacan. No sabiendo qué hacer se le envió un fax al Pastor Cho para preguntarle qué hacer con tales lderes. Él respondió con bastante prontitud: ‘Primero hay que asegurarse que el lder ha aprendido los principios del sistema. Si después de haberle enseñado adecuadamente no logra la multiplicación, hay que enviarlo a ayunar durante una semana. Si después de ello todava no logra multiplicar su célula hay que suspenderlo como lder’.

Por un tiempo esas recomendaciones se siguieron al pie de la letra. A veces daban resultado a veces no. Hoy, después de todos estos años, creo que la clave del asunto se encuentra en el entrenamiento. Todo lder puede ser capaz de multiplicar su célula si se le capacita y se le acompaña adecuadamente. Creo que la multiplicación no se alcanza quitando lderes sino capacitándolos para la tarea de la multiplicación.

En esto juega un papel fundamental el trabajo del supervisor, quien debe estar atento al trabajo de cada lder. Eso le permitirá identificar las debilidades de cada lder para luego entrenarlo y lograr que alcance un nivel aceptable de trabajo.

¿Cuál es su experiencia en este campo?

by Jeff Tunnell

My wife and I just escorted our daughter to a summer mission interview.  She lives in a city one hour from our home and the interview was an hour further from there.  Traversing the southern California freeway system, traffic can present additional delays, so being prepared is a necessity.

Is the car ready, travel timing, fuel, direction, schedule matching, alternate route plans and don’t forget the packet of information needed for the interview.   All of these preparations are important for a successful day.  Oh, remember that all of this may change somewhat for the return trip.

Do we put this same conscious effort into preparing for our weekly cell gathering?  We don’t have to rebuild the car before each trip, but some regular maintenance is required.  When we desire a prosperous day of travel, we PREPARE; it should be the same for a great cell meeting.  Preparing our heart, prayer for members, review of the agenda (lesson/application), room set up, advance planning for the different parts of the meeting (who is conducting each portion) and reviewing the projected timing are some of the areas that need attention BEFORE we start out.

Above all, is MY heart right with the Father?  Am I ready to invite the Holy Spirit to lead this meeting and then follow His lead?  Am I including my apprentice in this preparation?  When we finish, will God receive the glory due to Him? Or will I end up with it being all about me because I failed to prepare?

Be prepared, think ahead & plan; all of this brings confidence.  Then let God have the driver’s wheel, you’ll arrive at the expected destination right on time. (By the way, we did; and my daughter will spend the summer leading worship all across the southeastern islands of Indonesia!)

What things help you to Be Prepared?

by Steve Cordle

Ezra was a man used by God to fuel a spiritual renewal. A group leader is more than a facilitator of a meeting – the best leaders are spiritual influencers.

Here are a few traits of a spiritual influencer:

Be aware– Ezra was acutely aware of the spiritual condition of the nation (in fact it grieved him). Know what is happening in the lives of the people in your group.  Who is growing most right now? Who is struggling? Which members have been through the Equipping Track? How far?

If we don’t know as much about the inner life of our members as we would like, spending some time with them can be a great first step.

Be a model – let your life be visible! People could see Ezra’s obedience to the Lord. The best group leaders are not perfect, but growing. Some great questions to ask myself as a leader are:

1. In what way is God asking me to humble myself?
2. What is God saying to me right now?
3. Have I obeyed the last thing He told me to do?
4. What area of my life or ministry is being favored?
5. What do I need to repair, reconcile, or repay?

More than just responding to these questions in a journal, let the other members of the group know where God is taking you and how you are seeking to respond.

Be willing to be inconvenienced – Ezra could have avoided the pain of pulling out his hair and tearing his tunic — if he didn’t care. Spiritual leadership will usually tax us emotionally, spiritually, and even physically. Let’s be willing to be inconvenienced in order to see God’s purposes prevail.

Comments?

Steve Cordle

www.crossroadsumc.org