Month: January 2017

By Steve Cordle, www.crossroadsumc.org

Over a year ago I met a guy who was going through a hard time. I invited him to worship at our church; we even had a popular athlete speaking. He declined.

Just over a month ago I met him again, and he had fallen back into a hard time again. Instead of inviting him to church, I simply shared how I came to Christ and then shared the Gospel with him. He chose to receive Christ, and we have been meeting weekly for follow up since. But he still hasn’t come to church, not even for Christmas Eve! Now another old friend has joined us, and he hasn’t come to a service, either.

It used to be that unreached people would be very open to an invitation from a friend to attend a relevant worship service. In fact, our church’s outreach strategy: invite the to church with you. But times have changed. People are not as open to an invitation to church. Strategies and forms that produced fruit in past years may not work today.

Amidst all the change, however, there are some fundamental realities of Kingdom-based ministry. Personal, one-on-one ministry is still effective. Unbelievers still need to hear the Gospel of Jesus, and it is still best when they hear it from someone they know and trust. New believers still need someone to guide them how to follow and to serve Jesus, and it is still best when that person in relationally connected to them.

Personal ministry is the essence of cell-based ministry, which is why it is more relevant than ever. Large group dynamics may be different today, but the power of the personal is as strong as ever.

What new thing does God want to do through your group this year?

Korean blog (click here)

Portuguese blog:

Mudança

Por Steve Cordle, www.crossroadsumc.org

Mais de um ano atrás eu conheci um cara que estava passando por um momento difcil. Convidei-o a adorar em nossa igreja; nós até teramos um atleta popular falando. Ele recusou.

Pouco mais de um mês atrás eu o reencontrei, e ele tinha cado novamente em um momento difcil. Em vez de convidá-lo para a igreja, eu simplesmente compartilhei como eu vim a Cristo e depois compartilhei o Evangelho com ele. Ele escolheu receber a Cristo, e nós estamos nos reunindo semanalmente para fazer um acompanhamento desde então. Mas ele ainda não foi à igreja, nem mesmo para a Véspera de Natal! Agora outro velho amigo se juntou a nós, e ele também ainda não foi a nenhum culto.

Antigamente as pessoas não alcançadas eram muito abertas a um convite de um amigo para participar de um culto de adoração relevante. Na verdade, a estratégia de evangelização da nossa igreja é: convide-os à igreja com você. Mas os tempos mudaram. As pessoas não estão mais tão abertas a um convite à igreja. Estratégias e formatos que produziram frutos nos últimos anos podem não funcionar hoje.

Em meio a toda a mudança, no entanto, existem algumas realidades fundamentais do ministério baseado no Reino. O ministério pessoal e um a um ainda é eficaz. Os incrédulos ainda precisam ouvir o Evangelho de Jesus, e é ainda melhor quando o ouvem de alguém que eles conhecem e confiam. Os novos convertidos ainda precisam de alguém para orientá-los a seguir e servir a Jesus, e é melhor ainda quando essa pessoa está relacionalmente ligada a eles.

O ministério pessoal é a essência do ministério baseado em células, e é por isso que ele é mais relevante do que nunca. A dinâmica do grande grupo pode ser diferente hoje, mas o poder do pessoal permanece forte como sempre.

Que coisa nova Deus quer fazer através de seu grupo este ano?

Spanish blog:

Cambio

Por Steve Cordle, www.crossroadsumc.org

Hace más de un año conoc a un hombre que estaba pasando por un momento difcil. Lo invité a adorar en nuestra iglesia; Incluso tenamos un atleta popular hablando. Él declinó.

Hace poco más de un mes me lo encontré de nuevo, y él haba cado de nuevo en un momento difcil otra vez. En lugar de invitarlo a la iglesia, simplemente compart cómo llegué a Cristo y luego compart el Evangelio con él. Él eligió recibir a Cristo, y nos hemos estado reuniendo semanalmente para el seguimiento desde entonces. ¡Pero aún no ha venido a la iglesia, ni siquiera para la Nochebuena! Ahora otro viejo amigo se nos ha unido, y él no ha venido a un servicio, tampoco.

Sola ​​ser que la gente inconversa estara muy abierta a la invitación de un amigo para asistir a un servicio de adoración relevante. De hecho, la estrategia de evangelización de nuestra iglesia: invita a la iglesia contigo. Pero los tiempos han cambiado. La gente no está tan abierta a una invitación a la iglesia. Las estrategias y las formas que produjeron la fruta en los años pasados ​​ no funcionan hoy.

En medio de todo el cambio, sin embargo, hay algunas realidades fundamentales del ministerio basado en el Reino. Personal, el ministerio uno a uno sigue siendo eficaz. Los incrédulos todava necesitan escuchar el Evangelio de Jesús, y todava es mejor cuando lo escuchan de alguien que conocen y confan. Los nuevos creyentes todava necesitan a alguien para guiarles a seguir y servir a Jesús, y todava es mejor cuando esa persona se relaciona relacionalmente con ellos.

El ministerio personal es la esencia del ministerio basado en células, por lo que es más relevante que nunca. La dinámica de grupos grandes puede ser diferente hoy en da, pero el poder de lo personal es tan fuerte como siempre.

¿Qué cosa nueva quiere Dios hacer a través de su grupo este año?

By Pastor Rob Campbell, www.cypresscreekchurch.com

Al Ries writes in his book, Focal Point, that there are four things you can do to improve the quality of your life and work.

1. You can do more of certain things.
2. You can do less of certain things.
3. You can start to do things you are not doing at all today.
4. You can stop doing certain things altogether.

Dave Browning in his book, Deliberate Simplicity (a great read, by the way!), comments on the four options above. He writes, “While the traditional church tends to choose doors 1 and 3, the Deliberately Simple church looks at what is behind doors 2 and 4. By doing less of certain things, and stopping other things altogether, energy and resources can be reinvested in the few things really worth doing.”

Pastor Wade Hodges once stated, “If becoming a part of a church places people in an environment that encourages them to live more frenetic lives than they were living before, then we are going about doing church the wrong way.”

Browning writes, “What is the simplest thing that could possibly work?” He suggests that we “jettison other elements even if they have traditionally been associated with progress.”

One more thought from Browning:  “One of the questions that takes the church back to basics is, how would we do church if we didn’t have electricity? Your answer will undoubtedly push you back to the essence of the church and away from the artificiality of modernity.”

Comments?

Rob

Korean blog (click here)

Portuguese blog:

“Foco”

por Rob Campbell, www.cypresscreekchurch.com

Al Ries escreve em seu livro Focal Point (Ponto Focal, em tradução livre) que há quatro coisas que você pode fazer para melhorar a qualidade de sua vida e do seu trabalho.

1. Você pode fazer mais de certas coisas.
2. Você pode fazer menos de certas coisas.
3. Você pode começar a fazer coisas que você não está fazendo.
4. Você pode parar completamente de fazer certas coisas

Dave Browning em seu livro Deliberate Simplicity (Simplicidade Deliberada, em tradução livre, uma ótima leitura, a propósito!), comenta sobre as quatro opções acima. Ele escreve: “Enquanto a igreja tradicional tende a escolher as portas 1 e 3, a igreja Deliberadamente Simples olha para o que está por trás das portas 2 e 4. Ao fazer menos de certas coisas e parar outras coisas completamente, a energia e os recursos podem ser reinvestidos nas poucas coisas que realmente valem a pena fazer”.

O pastor Wade Hodges declarou certa vez: “Se se tornar parte de uma igreja coloca as pessoas em um ambiente que as encoraja a viverem vidas mais frenéticas do que viviam antes, então estamos fazendo a igreja da maneira errada”.

Browning escreve: “Qual é a coisa mais simples que poderia funcionar?” Ele sugere “descarte outros elementos, mesmo que tradicionalmente eles tenham sido associados ao progresso”.

Mais um pensamento de Browning: “Uma das perguntas que leva a igreja de volta ao básico é, como faramos a igreja se não tivéssemos eletricidade? Sua resposta, sem dúvida, vai empurrá-lo de volta para a essência da igreja e longe da artificialidade da modernidade”.

Comentários?

Rob

Spanish blog: 

“Concéntrate”

Por Rob Campbell, www.cypresscreekchurch.com

Al Ries escribe en su libro, Punto Focal, que hay cuatro cosas que puedes hacer para mejorar la calidad de tu vida y tu trabajo.

1. Usted puede hacer más de ciertas cosas.
2. Usted puede hacer menos de ciertas cosas.
3. Usted puede comenzar a hacer cosas que usted no está haciendo en absoluto hoy.
4. Usted puede dejar de hacer ciertas cosas por completo.

Dave Browning en su libro, La simplicidad deliberada (¡una gran lectura, por cierto!), Comentarios sobre las cuatro opciones anteriores. Él escribe: “Mientras que la iglesia tradicional tiende a elegir las puertas 1 y 3, la iglesia simple deliberada mira lo que está detrás de las puertas 2 y 4. Al hacer menos cosas y detener otras cosas, la energa y los recursos pueden ser reinvertidos en las pocas cosas realmente vale la pena hacer”.

El pastor Wade Hodges dijo una vez: “Si convertirse en parte de una iglesia coloca a la gente en un ambiente que los anima a vivir vidas más frenéticas de las que vivan antes, entonces vamos a hacer la iglesia de la manera equivocada”.

Browning escribe: “¿Cuál es la cosa más simple que podra funcionar?” Sugiere que “desechemos otros elementos incluso si tradicionalmente se han asociado con el progreso”.

Un pensamiento más de Browning: “Una de las preguntas que lleva a la iglesia de regreso a lo básico es, ¿Cómo hara la iglesia si no tuviéramos electricidad? Su respuesta, sin duda, le empujará de nuevo a la esencia de la iglesia y lejos de la artificialidad de la modernidad.

¿Comentarios?

Rob

By Joel Comiskey

A couple weeks ago, I had a very bad day. Nothing worked out right. I was crabby, indecisive, and critical. I didn’t sleep well the night before and it showed. By the end of the day, I welcomed a good night sleep. I started the next day with concentrated devotions, asking Jesus to fill me. A strong cup of coffee helped. Jesus gave me new hope, direction, and vision. My attitude was completely different, and I had a great day.

January is to a new year what the morning is to a new day. 2017 can be a time to reset your cell ministry or strengthen what you’re already doing well. Some pastors witnessed amazing fruit in 2016. Maybe you’re one of them. Take advantage of the strong head winds as you press ahead in 2017.

Others struggled in cell ministry in 2016. They didn’t see their goals fulfilled and are needing to reboot. Maybe you’re one of them. Remember that God is more interested in his church than you are. He wants to help you fine-tune your current cell ministry to more effectively make disciples who make new disciples. After all, God is the one who has ordained small groups to mold and shape new disciples, and he does this through an amazingly simple system that consists of five main areas:

1. Cell. Disciples are formed in the small group atmosphere.
2. Celebration. Disciples are encouraged through vision casting, worship, and preaching.
3. Equipping. Disciples are trained to lead new cell groups (or be part of a team), supervise cell leaders, and plant new cell churches
4. Coaching. Disciples receive care, encouragement, and accountability to remain strong in their leadership roles.
5. Prayer/Missions. Disciples breathe the pure air of Christ’s church through prayer and participate in the missional outreach of Christ’s church.

So which of the five above aspects do you need to work on in 2017? What are you already doing well? Celebrate those areas. What steps can you take in 2017 to fine tune your current cell church ministry? Work on those areas. The worst thing is to ignore the problems and not do anything. Passive inaction generates more stagnation. Be proactive. One pastor decided to promote the cell vision from the pulpit (#2 above). Another realized he needed to jump-start his equipping process (#3 above). What about you?

Take time to pray and envision your current cell ministry–the strong points and weak ones. Then get others involved in the process. Refuse to be a lone-ranger. Be honest about the strengths and weakness of your cell groups and cell system.

As I speak in churches around the world and coach pastors each month, I’m constantly urging leaders to prioritize children and youth in cell ministry. The young people today will be the church of tomorrow. Those pastors who prepare well for the future concentrate on discipling the children and youth now.

In the month of January on the JCG blog, we’ll take the first two weeks to offer practical advice and vision to fine-tune your cell church ministry in 2017. During the third and fourth weeks of January, I’ll share excerpts from my new book, Youth in Cell Ministry: Discipling the Next Generation Now. Here are the themes we’ll cover in December:

• January 08-14. Refresh and Reset. The new year is a time of hope and refreshment. It’s a time of envisioning God’s plan for the church through making disciples through cell ministry.
• January 15-21. Mending the nets. What needs to be changed, improved, or maintained for 2017. The best pastors are not lone rangers but work in a team. They seek counsel from others to determine what to change, maintain, and what goals to set.
• January 22-28. Preparing a new generation. Insights from Comiskey’s book, “Youth in Cell Ministry.”
• January 29-February 04. Specifics of youth in cell ministry. Insights from Comiskey’s book “Youth in Cell Ministry.”
What are your goals for 2017? What are you doing well and what do you need to improve? Share your experiences here.