Remember those days when all groups were supposed to multiply in six months?
I do.
I was one of the chief promoters of rapid multiplication. My best-selling book Home Cell Group Explosion taught churches how to quickly multiply, like fast-growing churches worldwide (note: the 2023 version of the HCGE is far more balanced).
Although I never insisted that a cell multiply in six months, I did believe that multiplication was the main goal.
My problem was that I often multiplied weak groups that ended up closing. God was good at helping me learn from my mistakes.
But it’s also easy to go to the other extreme (as we say in English, throw the baby out with the bathwater). The other extreme is resisting multiplication or under-emphasizing it.
I’ve come to believe that multiplication is a health issue—part of making disciples who make disciples. Multiplication helps members spread their wings, exercise their muscles, make mistakes, and become more like Jesus.
When a church catches the making discipleship theme behind cell multiplication, it will celebrate new leaders, prioritize the equipping track, and never tire of promoting developing new disciples through multiplication. Healthy cell churches don’t move too fast or too slow. They prioritize the equipping track and coaching new leaders.
The cell church world has increasingly emphasized team ministry in multiplication. One person should never multiply alone.