Month: June 2010

by Michael Sove

One of my favorite ways to determine wether a cell is holistic or not is to look for the following four dimensions.  (upward, inward, outward and forward) The questions I ask are as follows:

#1  (Upward)  Are the people being directed into the presence of God?

#2  (Inward)  Are the people experiencing community and serving one another.

#3  (Outward)  Is the cell actively praying for and reaching out to the lost?

#4  (Forward) Are people being discipled and leaders being raised toward the next multiplication?

As a church we have adopted the following definition for our cells and it has been very helpful.  You will see the four dimensions are seen in the definition.

Definition of a Cell Group

A group of 4-15 people who have chosen to live together in biblical community for the purpose of Christ-centered worship, edification, relational evangelism and discipleship with the goal of multiplication.

A Closer Look at Our Definition of a Cell Group

Small Size (4-15 people)  Cells should remain small enough so that each person can participate and intimacy in relationships can occur.

Regularity (meet weekly)  Cells meeting weekly are the norm to promote continuity from the weekend services and to assure quality control.  Guests from the weekend can immediately connect with a group.

Penetration (outside the church building)  Cells meet outside the church building to penetrate the world where people live, move and breathe.

Upward (Christ-centered worship)  Cells help people experience the presence of God.

Inward (biblical community)  Cells provide the optimum environment for meaningful  relationships to be developed.  People are created for community.

Outward (for the purpose of evangelism)  Cells pray for and reach out to those needing Christ.  This is the reason for cells and is the priority of the cell as the group reaches out together.

Forward (discipleship and equipping)  Cells offer pastoral care and a process for spiritual growth through an equipping track designed to help all toward become Spirit-filled servants of Christ.

Expansion (goal of multiplication)  Cells focus on raising new leaders so new groups can be started and more people reached, developed and cared for.

Clarity in definition has helped our cells remain four dimensional and holistic in nature.

Comments?  What definition do you use?

Michael

by Mario Vega

When we began our cell work, the main purpose was to evangelize and reach more people. The cells were not born as an end in itself but as means to achieve the purpose of evangelization. We have maintained that purpose up to the present time. This purpose can be seen by the fact that for every Christian who attends a cell there is an average of two invited friends.

As the church grew, we also observed that the cells were the appropriate environment for members to develop a sense of belonging, mutual care and fellowship. I have no doubt that the foundation of fellowship in our church occurs in the cell and not in the celebration service (the constant rotation of services leaves little time for fellowship).The cell model also openned new space for many more people to join in the work and provided the means for the training of those new Ministers.

Even before we understood the theoretical framework for cell ministry, the cells in their development had defined their components: multiplication, fellowship, evangelism, training, and care for one another. It was not until several years later, while listening to Joel Comiskey, that I would understand the theology that explained and gave unity to what had been happening naturally in our church for years.

And of course, this was no coincidence. It is God that always builds his church according to His desire.

Comments?

Mario

translation:

Células con propósitos.

Al iniciar nuestro trabajo celular fue indudable que el objetivo principal era el de evangelizar a muchas más personas. Las células no nacieron como un fin en s mismo sino como un medio para alcanzar el fin de la evangelización. Esa pasión se conserva hasta el presente y se manifiesta en el hecho que por cada cristiano que asiste a una célula hay un promedio de dos amigos invitados.

Al producirse el crecimiento de la iglesia, la simple observación demostró que las células mismas eran el medio adecuado para que los miembros desarrollaran un sentido de pertenencia, de cuidado mutuo y de comunión. No tengo la menor duda que la base fundamental de la comunión en nuestra iglesia se produce en la célula y no en la celebración, donde nuestro sistema de servicios en serie no deja lugar al tiempo suficiente para la comunión de pasillos.

El mismo desarrollo del modelo demandó cada vez más personas que ejercieran la labor del ministerio. Las células mostraron ser capaces de abrir los espacios para que muchas más personas pudiesen incorporarse al trabajo. Además proveyó los medios para la capacitación de esos nuevos ministros.

De esa manera, sin tener el marco teórico, las células en su desarrollo haban definido sus componentes: multiplicación, comunión, evangelización, capacitación, cuidado de los unos por los otros. Sera hasta varios años después, al escuchar a Joel Comiskey, que entendera la teologa que explicaba y daba unidad a lo que haba venido sucediendo en nuestro pas de manera natural. No fue una casualidad. Es que Dios siempre edifica su iglesia de acuerdo a su deseo.

by Jeff Tunnell

“Groups of 3-15 meeting weekly outside the church building for the purpose of evangelism, community, and spiritual growth with the goal of multiplication”   Cell Group definition given by Joel Comiskey in yesterday’s blog.

The following definitions for Holism and System are from the online Wikipedia:

Holism (from ὅλος holos, a Greek word meaning all, whole, entire, total) is the idea that all the properties of a given system (physical, biological, chemical, social, economic, mental, linguistic, etc.) cannot be determined or explained by its component parts alone. Instead, the system as a whole determines in an important way how the parts behave.

System (from Latin systÄ“ma, in turn from Greek σύστημα systÄ“ma, “whole compounded of several parts or members, system”, literary “composition”[1]) is a set of interacting or interdependent entities forming an integrated whole.

Most systems share common characteristics, including:

• Systems have structure, defined by parts and their composition;
• Systems have behavior, which involves inputs, processing and outputs of material, energy or information;
• Systems have interconnectivity: the various parts of a system have functional as well as structural relationships between each other.
• Systems have by themselves functions or groups of functions

So what does this mean?

In a Cell group system, the properties (life giving nature) of the cell are more than the sum of its component descriptions:

1. Size/Quantity (3-15)
2. Regularity (weekly)
3. Penetration (outside the church building)
4. Evangelism
5. Community
6. Spiritual Growth
7. Multiplication

 That is, when all of the above components are present in the cell they produce a greater result/effect than can be predetermined by estimating the sum of the individual component’s impacts.

When the Body of Christ gathers in cells, He is present in each person and the effect of the gathering will cause an individual to say upon departure: “I got more out of that than I can explain!”, because of the nearly intangible and imperceptible results of the synergy in a holistic cell.

Defining the components carefully provides leadership with the ability to monitor quality, consistency, and overall system health.

by Joel Comiskey

The cell is the church. It’s not just an extension or program of the traditional Sunday gathering.When I do announcements at Wellspring, the church I started out here in Moreno Valley, I often say, “if you have to choose between attending the cell or the Sunday celebration, don’t miss the cell.” People still find it hard to remember that the cell is the church. They naturally see the Sunday gathering as the “true church,” and I want to remind them that both the cell and the celebration are the church. In fact, the celebration service is the gathering of those cells together.

Wellspring began as a single cell and eventually multiplied to the point of having monthly celebration services while the cells met weekly. We did this for four years and just just two years ago we started weekly celebration services while the cells continue to meet weekly. The cells have always been the life of the church. In my book, The Church that Multiplies, I introduced the concept of the cell driven church. Through the cells the church grows in both quality and quantity. The New Testament emphasizes meeting from house to house and gathering whenever possible to hear the apostle’s teaching (Acts 2:42-46; Acts 5:42; 20:20).

Because the cell is the church, cell churches define their cells with a quality definition. I don’t believe the name of the group is nearly as important as the definition. The cell churches I studied around the world defined their cells this way: “Groups of 3-15 meeting weekly outside the church building for the purpose of evangelism, community, and spiritual growth with the goal of multiplication.” I’m zealous when it comes to defining cells with a quality definition in mind. I tell people not to allow cells to be anything and everything (choir groups, board meetings, horseback riding clubs, etc.). Why? because of the need to guard the quality of the cell (if you’d like a fuller understanding of this topic, please read my article entitled, “what is a cell group?”).

What do you think? What’s your opinion?

Joel

by Steve Cordle

Coming together as a team of leaders or network pastors can result in increased TEAM effectiveness and unity, but it doesn’t happen automatically.

After years of searching and experimenting with how to make the most of our TEAM meetings, I have come to a rather simple outline of three main agenda items.

1. Spiritual input – Since our Network Pastor TEAM immediately follows our All-staff meeting (which includes worship and prayer), I don’t always take time for additional spiritual input.

When I do, sometimes I share something God has stirred in me; other times we ask each other accountability questions like “How was your time with God this week?” and “Who did you share Christ with this week”? I try to gauge the spiritual temperature of the team and shift the focus to spiritual dynamics if I sense we are getting too mechanical or dry in our ministry.

2. Planning.- As needed we will brainstorm about a problem, or plan a group leader training event together. We will evaluate our training track or the monthly leadership training event.

3. Network reporting – in order to prevent this from becoming merely numbers, I ask:

a) What are we celebrating this week in our network of groups?

b) What is your greatest challenge right now?

c) How will you address that challenge?

The best conversations are those which involve all those around the table. When leaders learn from one another everyone grows stronger.

These meetings are not flashy, but they are vital to on-going effectiveness.

We then leave the meeting with a “to-do” list.

Thoughts?

Steve