Making the Plain Things the Main Things

joel

by Joel Comiskey

Over this past month, we’ve discussed various strategies that help us go deeper in making disciples. Some of the bloggers have pointed to Jesus and his three as an example of more intimate discipleship. Abe Huber has emphasized one-on-one discipleship and the importance of caring for each person. We’ve noted how the Elim Church concentrates on the nucleus of each cell by asking for a mid-week planning meeting. Jim Egli shared his journey into micro group discipleship and how he has discovered that discipleship in a micro group is the most effective.

This past week, I gave a cell seminar in London among a Brazilian church I’ve been coaching. I told the participants that the cell church is simple, and that we must not over-complicate it. I told them that all cell churches highlight cell and celebration as the two balancing wings. Besides cell and celebration, there are two systems: coaching and equipping. All cell churches, therefore, emphasize cell, celebration, coaching, and equipping.

Your church might additionally ask people to meet in triads of three (e.g., Ralph Neighbour, Jeff Boersma, and Michael Mack), weekly planning meetings (Mario Vega), one-on-one discipleship (Abe Huber & MDA), or micro-group discipleship (Jim Egli). The strategies cell churches use beyond the essentials of cell, celebration, coaching, and equipping to disciple their people will vary according to context, culture, and conviction.

I think it’s important to concentrate on the major cell church essentials (cell, celebration, coaching, and equipping) while granting creativity and liberty to those different methods of micro discipleship that we’ve talked about throughout this month.

God is using the cell church mightily in these last days, and it’s a great privilege to participate in this God-ordained strategy!

Comments?

Joel

Korean blog (click here)

Portuguese blog:

Fazendo das Coisas Certas as Coisas Principais

por Joel Comiskey

Neste último mês, discutimos várias estratégias que nos ajuda a ir mais fundo no nosso discipulado. Alguns dos blogueiros apontaram Jesus e seus três como um exemplo de discipulado mais ntimo. Abe Huber enfatizou o discipulado um a um e a importância de cuidar de cada pessoa. Notamos como a Igreja Elim concentra nos núcleos de cada célula encontrando-se semanalmente. Jim Egli compartilhou sua jornada no discipulado de micro grupos e como ele descobriu que o discipulado num micro grupo é mais eficiente.

Na última semana, ministrei em um seminários sobre células em uma igreha Brasileira que tenho treinado. Eu disse aos participantes que a igreja em células é simples, e que não devemos complicá-la. Eu lhes disse que as igrejas em células ressaltam as células e a celebração como seuas duas asas principais. Além da célula e celebrção, existem dois sistemas: treinar e equipar. Todas as igrejas em célula, entretanto, enfatizam a célula, celebração, treinamento e equipagem.

Sua igreja pode também pedir as pessoas que estejam em trades (ex. Ralph Neighbour, Jeff Boersma e Michael Mack), semanalmente planejando encontros (Mario Vega), discipulado um a um (Abe Huber & MDA) ou discipulado de micro grupos (Jim Egli). A maneira que a igreja em célula funciona além da célula, celebração, treinamento e equipagem para discipular seu pessoal varia de acordo com o contexto, cultura e convicção.

Creio que é importante enfatizar corajosamente, afinar e concentrar na grande essência (célula, celebração, treinamento e equipagem) enquanto concedemos criatividade e liberdade para aqueles de métodos de micro discipulado que nós discutimos ao longo desse mês.

Deus está usando a igreja em células poderosamente nestes últimos dias, e é um grande privilégio participar nesta estratégia ordenada por Deus!

Comentários?

Joel

Spanish blog:

Hacer las cosas sencillas las cosas principales

Por Joel Comiskey

Durante este último mes, hemos discutido varias estrategias que nos ayudan a profundizar nuestro discipulado. Algunos de los bloggers han destacado a Jesús y sus tres como ejemplo de discipulado ntimo. Abe Huber ha hecho hincapié en el discipulado de uno-a – uno y la importancia de cuidar a cada persona. Notamos cómo la Iglesia Elim se concentra en el núcleo de cada célula al hacer una reunión de planificación a mediados de semana. Jim Egli ha compartido su viaje al discipulado de micro grupo y cómo él ha descubierto que el discipulado en un micro grupo es el más eficaz.

La semana pasada, di un seminario celular en Londres a una iglesia brasileña que he estado entrenando. Les dije a los participantes que la iglesia celular es simple, y que no hay que sobre-complicarlo. Yo les dije que todas las iglesias celulares destacan la célula y la celebración como las dos alas de equilibrio. Además de las células y de la celebración, hay otros dos sistemas: entrenamiento y equipamiento. Todas las iglesias celulares, por lo tanto, hacen hincapié en la célula, celebración, entrenamiento y equipamiento.

Su iglesia puede pedir a la gente que estén en tradas (por ejemplo, Ralph Neighbour, Jeff Boersma, y Michael Mack), reuniones semanales de planificación (Mario Vega), discipulado de uno -a-uno (Abe Huber & MDA), o discipulado de micro-grupo (Jim Egli). La forma en que las iglesias celulares van más allá de la célula, celebración, entrenamiento y equipamiento para discipular a su gente variará según el contexto, cultura, y convicción.

Creo que es importante enfatizar la audacia, poner a punto, y concentrarse en los principales elementos esenciales (célula, celebración, entrenamiento y equipamiento), concediendo creatividad y libertad a los diferentes métodos de micro discipulado que hemos hablado a lo largo de este mes.

Dios está usando a la iglesia celular poderosamente en estos últimos das, y es un gran privilegio participar en esta estrategia ordenada por Dios.

¿Comentarios?

Joel

6 thoughts on “Making the Plain Things the Main Things

  • RE: Discipleship Triads

    In my many years of being a catalyst of cell-based church ministry, I believed “discipleship” was occurring within cell group meetings. My belief was recently challenged when a man who had been attending a cell for several years publicly challenged me by threatening he would leave our church if I continued stressing the importance of becoming a disciple of Jesus Christ. Go figure!

    The situation mentioned above sent me back to the books. In my reading, I read a book titled, “Growing Up”, by Dr. Robby Gallaty. Although I haven’t read nor heard Dr. Robby Gallaty refer to the church he pastors as a ‘cell church’, while conversing with Robby at a recent workshop, he did acknowledge the importance of establishing “discipleship triads” (D-Groups) from within cells. He told me, his next book will address this in more detail than is found in his book, “Growing Up”.

    Although I firmly believe the cell serves as the best venue for discipleship to occur and, with a strong desire that every person involved in our cells understands the goal of becoming disciples of Jesus Christ, I’m becoming more convinced of the importance of also establishing “discipleship triads” (D-Groups) from within cells.

    Thoughts? Comments?

    Sharing the Journey,
    Rick Diefenderfer / Director
    Creating Christian Communities

  • Hola Omar,

    Quizá las palabras son:

    Capacitación (la ruta, etc.)

    Asesoramiento (coaching pero muchos usan entrenamiento)

    Entonces: cuatro cosas: células, celebración, capacitación, asesoramiento. . .

  • Hi Rick, you bring up some great points, and I like your desire to make sure people are truly discipled!

    As a researcher, I’ve tried to find common principles among all cell churches. Those common principles are: cell, celebration, equipping (discipleship equipping path), and coaching (supervising cell leaders). These are the essentials. These are the things that I believe cell churches should do and I believe there is biblical backing for these four things.

    Beyond these four essentials, some cell churches ask for additional commitments of one-on-one disciples (Abe Huber and MDA) or triads (Ralph Neighbour, Jeff Boersma, and others). Personally, it seems that the triad idea has a biblical base with Jesus and his three, but I think you can also see Jesus and his three in terms of “team ministry.” Mario Vega and Elim practice team ministry in their weekly planning meeting, etc. Thus, I wouldn’t want to be too rigid about how those within the cell are additionally discipled beyond cell, celebration, equipping, and coaching. Do people from the cell additionally want to get together one-on-one? Amen! In triads? Amen!

    I see precedence in this with Wesley and his cell groups. Wesley asked all Methodists to be involved in a weekly cell group but he gave liberty for certain ones to voluntarily meet in bands (triad like groups). I, like Wesley, believe that these extra discipleship meetings should be voluntary.

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