Month: May 2010

by Joel Comiskey

A few decades ago, God used the Christian and Missionary Alliance to start a movement in Perú called Encounter with God.The focus of Encounter with God was evangelistic campaigns and intense discipleship. It spread throughout Latin America, and when I arrived in Ecuador in 1990, I became part of an Encounter pastoral team at the El Batán Church in Quito, Ecuador. One key principle of the Encounter movement was team ministry. Yes, each Encounter church had a lead pastor, but the leadership team led the church alongside the lead pastor.

I was part of the El Batán team that planted a daughter church in 1994 called the Republic Church. When the Republic Church made the transition to cell ministry in 1997, we already knew the importance of team ministry. We held many team meetings together to plot our transition. We decided that each of us as pastors and missionaries on the Republic Church team would lead a cell and oversee a network of cells. We then met together as a team on a weekly basis to discuss the cell networks under our care. During those team meetings, the lead pastor, Porfirio Ludeña, asked each team leader how our cell networks were doing, multiplication goals, prayer needs, etc. We worked as a team to build the cell infraestructure.

The lead pastor will be much more effective if he develops a team to share the load, build-up each other, and oversee cell ministry. And of course, team ministry is a biblical concept. Jesus formed his team of twelve, Jesus sent his disciples out in teams, Paul developed a missionary team, and the early church based their leadership structure on a plurality of elders.

Team ministry is also a  part of growing cell churches around the world. Those on the leadership team have first been proven in cell ministry. They’ve multiplied cells, shown godly Christian character, received training, and are asked be part of the leadership team (read more about the team ministry process).

Perhaps you are the lead pastor and also work a secular job. Your church isn’t large enough to hire another team pastor. My counsel is to form your team with fruitful volunteer cell leaders. It’s best to meet with them on a weekly basis to envision and oversee cell ministry. If this doesn’t work out, meet every other week or once per month. As you build your team, you’ll discover new potential and fruitfulness in cell ministry.

Comments?

Joel

by Michael Sove

Those who know me know that I always talk about being a lifelong learner.  Since 1995 I have been involved in the Cell Church movement.  I try to read every book that comes out that has anything to do with cells, cell church values, making disciples and coaching.  Bill Warren, the Senior Pastor and I, always have a book that we are processing together.    When we meet weekly, we will typically spend some time talking about the latest chapter we have read and how it applies to us.

I have the privilege of focusing full time on developing people, learning from cell resources and networking with other cell pastors.  I always pass on to Bill Warren the book, the chapter, the quote, the idea etc. that I think will help us flesh out the vision to become a Spirit-filled Cell Church that impacts the world for Christ.

Three years ago we also did something that has been so helpful in our on-going transition to become a cell church.  We contacted JCG and asked Joel Comiskey to be our outside coach.  It has been a continual blessing to have someone who is on the outside, to ask good questions to, someone with experience who can help us set achievable goals to move to the next level in our transition.  Find someone who can function as your coach.  The return on investment far exceeds the cost.

Pastor Bill and I have contacted other lead/senior pastors from cell churches that are larger and a few steps ahead of where we are currently in our transition and development as a cell church.  These pastors have graciously given us their time, usually through a conference call, so we could ask questions and learn from their experience. These conversations have proved to be invaluable and encouraging and keep us moving forward in our vision.

I strongly recommend that the lead/senior pastor and his team attend an annual cell seminar, conference or workshop.  Those of us who attended the Cell Symposium that Dr. Ralph Neighbour organized last year, know that this was a very special once in a lifetime gathering. The last two years a team from our church attended the “Day With Joel and Mario” sponsored by JCG and have been greatly encouraged and strengthened as a team.  I have also found new friends to network with at these events.

I hope you are also a lifelong learner, doing all you can to sharpen your understanding and leadership skills.  I have found this to be the key to endurance and passion when it comes to cell church leadership.

Comments?

Michael

by Mario Vega

In a cell structure that functions well, supervisors encourage the leaders and the network pastors encourage the supervisors. But who will encourage the lead pastor? Such encouragement must come from elements outside the congregation.

An excellent way to get inspiration is visiting another church that is working very well in the cell vision. Personally, I always find new inspiration and new ideas when I visit the Full Gospel Church in Yoido, South Korea. Contemplating the living miracle which is Pastor Cho’s church is always a reason to find inner renewal. Such a visit is particularly relevant if it is made during the development of the Church Growth International Conference, which is held in October in odd-numbered years. The next will be held in October 2011.

When I’m at Yoido Full Gospel Church, I like to dedicate at least a morning (and even better a full day) to go to the Mountain of Prayer. I’m convinced that it’s impossible to understand Pastor Cho’s model without visiting Prayer Mountain.

Although YFGC is a great model to visit, most likely you’ll discover it more practical to visit a cell church closer to you geographically and culturally. My main point is that visiting an exciting cell church can keep the lead pastor’s passion burning for cell ministry.

In those visits, it’s a great idea for the pastor to take with him one or more close associates to interchange thoughts, have two different points of view, talk to a larger number of people, and to share key experiences on the way home. Visiting successful cell churches inspires a lead pastor to believe that all things are possible and to answer key questions about cell church ministry.

You don’t have to break all the new ground. Others have already walked before you, and you can follow in their steps with humility and creativity. As you are inspired and your church grows, be sure to return the favor and allow others to be inspired by you and your church.

Comments?

Mario

Translation in Spanish:

Pastores apasionados por el trabajo celular.

En una estructura celular completa los lderes son animados por los supervisores y los supervisores por el Pastor de la iglesia. Pero ¿quién anima a los Pastores de las iglesias? Obviamente, el estmulo debe venir de elementos externos a la congregación local.

Una excelente manera de obtener inspiración es visitando otra iglesia que trabaja muy bien en la visión celular. En lo personal, siempre encuentro nueva inspiración y nuevas ideas al visitar la Iglesia del Evangelio Completo en Yoido, Corea del Sur. El contemplar ese milagro viviente que es la iglesia del Pastor Cho es siempre una razón para encontrar renovación interna. Tal visita cobra especial relevancia si se realiza durante el desarrollo de la Conferencia Internacial de Crecimiento de la Iglesia que se realiza en el mes de octubre de los años impares. La próxima será en octubre de 2011.

En esa visita no debe olvidarse el dedicar una mañana, aunque lo mejor sera un da completo, para ir a la Montaña de la Oración. Solamente cuando se visita este lugar se puede tener una idea integral del modelo del Pastor Cho.

Aunque la Iglesia de Yoido es el modelo por excelencia del trabajo celular, también existen otros modelos más cercanos tanto geográfica como culturalmente. El punto principal es que el visitar cada cierto tiempo una iglesia que desarrolla con éxito su trabajo celular mantendrá apasionado el corazón del Pastor.

En esa visitas el Pastor puede hacerse acompañar de uno o más colaboradores cercanos con el fin de compartir observaciones, tener dos puntos de vista, conversar con mayor número de personas, compartir la experiencia al regreso, etc. Esos modelos celulares exitosos no solamente muestran que las cosas son posibles sino que también dan respuestas a las preguntas que surgen en el diario caminar.

No es necesario que abramos el camino completo. Hay otros que lo han caminado antes y solamente debemos seguir sus huellas con humildad y creatividad. Luego, el camino llegará a ser tan transitado que los que nos sucedan encontrarán una autopista de libre circulación.

by Jeff Tunnell

Our leadership is enrolled in a cell-church coaching contract with JCG that began in 2009 and continues through September of 2012.  The contract will take me back through nearly every book on cell church that I own! (I was one of a group of pastors who met with Joel for a previous 3-year coaching process as well and this led to our current church contract). Coaching is VITAL.

Our monthly cell leader gathering was yesterday.  We prayed for one another, reviewed the focus of ministry the Holy Spirit is directing in our Celebrations and discussed our reporting process for monitoring our goals.  This piece is so very necessary for including and encouraging those who are on the front lines of ministry.  Our under-shepherds are meeting incredible needs at the implementation level of cell church and in that place of ministry they also encounter extreme spiritual warfare.  They need and deserve our support and friendship on a regular basis to keep the vision fresh and meaningful.

I attend a cell each week that is led by Rob Hastings, the young man who will take my place as Senior Pastor in 2012.  He is experiencing cell church at the ground level and will multiply my wife & I out to a new cell soon.  We are enjoying cell community together each week, along with practicing the principles of evangelism and multiplication.

Sitting in my small home office, to my left, are 2 books that are on the “front burner” of reading for continued learning about cell church. Above my head are a couple of dozen books on leadership, church growth, values and virtues, discipleship and history.  When I go to my church office the library behind me has two entire shelves of books which are included in Joel Comiskey’s recommended reading list. I have read each at least once, most more than once.

I have marked each passage in the New Testament that demonstrates how the early church met in small groups and homes (check mark in the margin).  This keeps me sharp in how I think about the cell system when reading scripture and preaching/teaching.  It has revolutionized the way I think about how ministry should (and did) take place.

Above all these I have discovered that walking out the vision with a friend and co-laborer to be of greatest value.  Regular friendship and open dialogue about cell-driven approaches has kept me on task and on track over the years.  Many times I have been tempted to return to program-based designs.  My discussions combined with regular prayer together with my friend have helped me see the powerful reasons to stay with the plan God has given to us.

These things keep me refreshed and moving ahead in faith that one day we will again reach critical mass and exponential growth for the expansion of HIS kingdom inside our community.

By Joel Comiskey

Leading the cell church vision over the long haul requires a strategy to keep the vision burning. Some pastors quickly get excited about cell church but fizzle out over time. Often the reason for stagnation is the lack of a plan for developing and strengthening the cell fire. Here are a few suggestions to keep the fire alive:

Bible reading: Because cell church is based on the Bible, a pastor should grow in his passion as he reads Scripture. Do you see cell church when reading about the Trinity? Our God is a God of community, being in constant fellowship with the other members of the Trinity. Does Jethro’s advice to Moses in Exodus 18:13ff fan into flame your vision? Some scholars estimate that the nation of Israel had 150,000 cells among the 1.5 million people. How about Christ choosing a small group to live and minister with for three years? The early church continued that process through modeling both cell and celebration (Acts 2:42; 5:42; 20:20). Do all the one-another passages in the Bible excite you about cell ministry? I’m writing here in Miami at the Oikos conference. Yesterday, I was eating breakfast with Ralph Neighbour, Robert Lay, Mario Vega, Bill Beckham, and the Oikos leadership team. The director the NIV Spanish Bible talked to us about the possibility of creating a “Cell Church Bible” that would highlight the key cell church passages with commentary about those passages. What do you think?

Practicing cell life: Reread Steve Cordle’s Thursday blog about why he leads a cell group. Basically, Steve is saying that leading a cell keeps him excited about cell ministry. If you’re not leading a cell, you should be visiting cells or regularly attending one.

Coaching: Coaches help pastors stay fine-tuned with cell ministry through listening, encouragment, and strategizing. Part of the coach’s role is to resouce the pastor. For example, I ask most of the pastors I coach to read a book in preparation for our phone call. We don’t spend a lot of time on the reading, but I know this discipline will keep them fine-tuned. I also send each pastor my cell PowerPoints to stir their imagination and vision. If you don’t have a coach, find one. You also need to coach the leaders under your care through regular huddle times and one-on-one coaching. This will revive the passion of your leaders.

Online material: One of the key reasons we blog daily on JCG is to keep pastors and leaders excited about the cell vision (please spread the word about our daily blog). Have you also been studying our free online articles? Another great resources is WIZEHIVE. Ralph Neighbour and I are the co-owners of WIZEHIVE and Michael Sove is the administrator. WIZEHIVE offers a wealth of additional cell material. I would encourage you to sign up.

Networking: Cell seminars are great, and I’d encourage you to go to as many as possible. However, the networking with like-minded pastors and leaders is often the most valuable part of a seminar. In my seminars, I ask the participants to regularly break-up in groups of two and three to discuss what they’ve learned. I know that participation will help them apply what they’ve learned and add valuable insight to their lives.

If you plan on staying in the cell vision over the long-haul, you’ll need to proactively feed the cell vision continually.

What are you doing to keep the vision fresh?

Joel Comiskey