by Mario Vega
On several occasions it has been mentioned in this blog that the training of new leaders is a key factor to cell multiplication. And we must remember that new leaders can only emerge from those who are already members in your church (attending the cell groups, etc.). Yet, often churches stagnate in their potential leadership pool because they are not seing new people come to Christ, connecting to the cells, and participating in the training process.
One of the key problems is that new converts are not given appropriate follow-up. I believe it’s very important that a church has a plan to receive the new convert, care for him or her, and guide the new convert to become a disciple of Jesus by entering the training process. The cell plays a critical role in preparing the new beliver to serve the Lord. Each new convert should be incorporated into the training process with the goal of making him or her a future leader.
By doing this, there will always be new blood in the cell model. The new converts will be oxygenating the model and allowing new leaders to emerge.
Does such a mechanism exists in your church?
Mario Vega
Translation in Spanish
Atención a los nuevos conversos.
En varias ocasiones se ha mencionado en éste blog que la formación de nuevos lderes es clave para la multiplicación de las células. Los nuevos lderes solamente pueden surgir de nuevas personas que se incorporan al trabajo de evangelizar en las casas.
Después que una iglesia ha agotado los posibles candidatos de entre sus miembros activos, los nuevos lderes solamente podrán surgir de las personas que recientemente están conociendo a Jesús. De all, que es muy importante dar a los nuevos conversos el seguimiento apropiado. Después de la conversión de una persona es cuando el verdadero trabajo va a comenzar.
Se debe elaborar un plan que permita que cada nuevo converso sea recibido, atendido y guiado para iniciar su vida cristiana de la mejor manera. Parte de la vida cristiana es el servicio a Dios y, dentro de ello, el trabajo celular juega un papel importante. El plan de atención a nuevos conversos debe incluir el mecanismo para que cada nuevo cristiano se incorpore en el curso de entrenamiento para llegar a ser un nuevo lder.
De ésta manera, siempre existirá sangre nueva en el modelo celular. Los nuevos conversos estarán oxigenando el modelo y haciendo posible que nuevos lderes surjan.
¿Podra decir que tal mecanismo existe en su iglesia?
Yes we are doing it, but we did not have enough conversions to keep up with the needs of multiplication. But the Lord is teaching us how to pray through till the blessing of conversions falls down. The Lord reminded us in 1Tim.2-18 that prayers for every man is a must in the local level. But to bring our congregations there is a miracle in itself. We are seeing it a bit more in the last few weeks. People praying till…In v.8 it tells that any broken relationship which end in bitterness is a hindrance to our prayers for every man. It is a contradiction to reach for souls when Jesus said that our love for one another will be THE sign to tell who are his disciples. I have seen mighty efforts giving just little fruits because of personal conflicts in a team. God grants us tender love for one another so He can answer our prayers for conversions.
No arguments about this message. I belong to 3 churches at the same time. To some extend all 3 of them do it. As I said before ongoing edification & correction of Christians, who can hear will create more leaders, which will raise more leaders & bring more converts.
I tihnk the major obstacle will be time limits in the Devil’s economy which can be washed out by our actions of love to enthusiasctis believers in the processs of Buildfing of God’s economy of value-added service for the Kingdom. I hope this quote will be timely:
Contemporary English Version (CEV)
Prov 9:8.
Any bragger you correct
will only hate you.
But if you correct someone
who has common sense,
you will be loved.
I like what you said ” The cell plays a critical role in preparing the new believer to serve the Lord.” I have been in many churches that have had a follow up system for the new believer, but none of them involved a ‘cell’ group of people as part of the process. Training new converts without integrating them into the ‘cell’ experience is bit like me adopting a child but not letting the child live at the same address as my own family. It would not make sense!