Far More Demanding

joel

by Joel Comiskey

Myth: There Are Fewer Problems in the Cell Church than Traditional Ministry

Throughout this book I’ve been extolling the virtues of cell church ministry, while not trying to hide its problems. A lot of pastors gravitate to cell church ministry because of those positive points. Yet, there’s a danger in giving the impression that cell church ministry will wipe away all the church’s problems. Those who think this way are in for a rude awakening.

Truth: Cell Church Ministry Reveals Problems Often Hidden under the Busyness of Traditional Ministry

I spoke in a church in Puerto Rico. One wise elder said to me that before cell ministry, problems were always below the surface, but since they began to emphasize cell groups, those problems came to the light. People were free to share about them. Suddenly, there were far more problems. “The good news,” he told me, “is that we are now dealing with those issues.”

When a pastor focuses on cell ministry, people have the opportunity to share what’s going on in their lives. Demonic strongholds and psychological problems will often surface. Those problems were always there, but no one noticed them. They were below the surface. While the people sat in the pews, everything seemed great. When the people have the freedom and opportunity to share what’s happening in their lives, it seems like the church is full of problems.

Lawrence Khong says in his book, The Apostolic Cell Church,

For years I successfully pastored a traditional Baptist church. It was relatively easy to organize the church around worship services, Sunday school classes and various fellowships for various age groups. Most of the activity centered on teaching within a classroom. The biggest challenge most of the time was to make a good presentation, be it a sermon or a class lesson. The situation is far more demanding for a cell church.

When Khong says “far more demanding,” he’s referring to getting to the root of people’s problems and helping them change. The good news is that the lead pastor doesn’t have to solve all church problems. His main role is to equip leaders to pastor the church and help others become like Christ.

If you’d like purchase a normal copy of “Myths and Truths of the Cell Church” you can purchase a normal physical copy HERE or if you’d like a  PDF version of “Myths and Truths of the Cell Church,” click  HERE.

Korean blog (click here)

Portuguese blog (click here)

Spanish blog:

Mito: Existen Menos Problemas en la Iglesia Celular que en el Ministerio Tradicional

A lo largo de este libro he elogiado las virtudes del ministerio de la iglesia celular, sin tratar de esconder sus problemas. Muchos pastores gravitan hacia el ministerio de la iglesia celular debido a esos puntos positivos. No obstante, existe el peligro de dar la impresión que el ministerio de la iglesia celular borrará todos los problemas de la iglesia. Todos los que piensan de esta manera están por tener un duro despertar.

Verdad: El Ministerio de la Iglesia Celular Revela Problemas A Menudo Escondidos Bajo el Trajn del Ministerio Tradicional

Tuve la oportunidad de hablar en una iglesia en Puerto Rico. Un sabio Anciano me dijo que antes de implementar el ministerio de la iglesia celular los problemas siempre estaban bajo la superficie, pero que desde que empezaron a hacer énfasis en los grupos celulares, esos problemas salieron a la superficie. Las personas se sintieron libres para hablar sobre ellos. De repente resultaron muchos más problemas. “Las buenas noticias, me dijo, es que ahora estamos tratando con esos problemas”.

Cuando un pastor se enfoca en el ministerio celular, las personas tienen la oportunidad de compartir. Muy a menudo salen a la luz ataduras demonacas y problemas psicológicos. Esos problemas siempre estuvieron all, pero nadie los notó. Estaban bajo la superficie. Mientras las personas se sentaban en las bancas, todo pareca que estaba bien. Cuando las personas tienen la libertad y oportunidad de compartir lo que les está sucediendo en sus vidas, entonces, parece como si la iglesia entera está llena de problemas.

Lawrence Khong dice en su libro, The Apostolic Cell Church (La Iglesia Celular Apostólica),

Durante años pastorié exitosamente una iglesia bautista tradicional. Era relativamente fácil organizar a la iglesia para los servicios de adoración, las clases de escuela dominical, y para muchas reuniones de camaradera de diferentes grupos de edades. La mayor parte de la actividad se centraba en dar una enseñanza dentro de un aula. El más grande desafo, la mayora de veces era hacer una buena presentación, ya fuera de un sermón o de una lección de una clase. La situación es mucho más demandante cuando se trata de una iglesia celular.

Cuando Khong dice “mucho más demandante”, él se refiere a llegar a la raz de los problemas de las personas y ayudarles a cambiar. La buena noticia es que el pastor principal no tiene que resolver todos los problemas de la iglesia. Su rol principal es equipar a los lderes para que pastoreen la iglesia, y ayudarles a otros a ser como Cristo.

Si quieres comprar una copia fsica de “Mitos y Verdades de la Iglesia Celular” puedes hacerlo ACA. Si quieres una copia de ebook (PDF), puedes hacerlo ACA.

1 thought on “Far More Demanding

  • Joel wrote (in part), “problems were always there [in traditional church], but no one noticed them. They were below the surface. While the people sat in the pews, everything seemed great. When the people have the freedom and opportunity to share what’s happening in their lives, it seems like the church is full of problems.”

    Hence, the difference between pseudo and authentic Christian community. And, I believe, one of the major hindrances to establishing healthy cell-based churches in the “it’s-all-about-me/consumer-driven” US of A. I come out of a Southern Baptist background and have witnessed, on numerous occasions, blatant (in your face) sin go unaddressed for the sake of ‘avoiding conflict at all costs’.

    Brother Ralph Neighbour recently ( a couple months ago) contributed an excellent post on this JCG blog site (at https://joelcomiskeygroup.com/2013/06/27/transparency-precedes-edification-and-evangelism-in-the-cell/) addressing the need for transparency in which he writes, “It is my conviction that the group must pass through the Conflict Stage described by Jesus in Matthew 18:15-17 before transparent trust will be experienced. By wrestling with conflicts among the members and finding brokenness as a lifestyle, honest sharing will begin.”

    In his book, “The Different Drum”, M. Scott Peck, M.D. writes, “The essential dynamic of pseudo-community is conflict-avoidance… Genuine communities may experience lovely and sometimes lengthy periods free from conflict. But that is because they have learned how to deal with conflict rather than avoid it. Pseudo-community is conflict-avoiding; true community is conflict-resolving.”

    Sharing the Journey,
    Rick Diefenderfer
    Creating Christian Communities

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