JCG Newsletters
Resourcing the Worldwide Cell Church
December 2015 Newsletter
Finishing Well
December is a time of reflection on what God has accomplished during the year. It’s also a time to rejoice in what God has done–even in those little victories.
Maybe your church or cell group in 2015 has experienced incredible fruit and multiplication. Or maybe you’ve been building the foundations in 2015 and have seen little growth as you prepare future disciples. Maybe you’re brand new to cell ministry and still in the pre-transition stage. Or perhaps you’ve started the first pilot group and modeling what the new groups will look like in the future.
Wherever you are, your people need encouragement. I talked to one pastor recently who told me that his leaders seemed tired and unwilling to be involved. I noticed that this pastor was placing a lot of pressure on the leaders for a long period of time. I exhorted him to give his leaders an extra dose of encouragement, reminding him that encouragement is like oxygen to the soul. I said to him, “Your leaders are constantly pressured at work to perform and their employers are not shy about demanding time and energy with the threat of job loss for those who don’t perform well enough. You must motivate them biblically, reminding them that their reward is in heaven and they are serving King Jesus.”
The reality is the vast majority of those serving in the church are volunteers who are serving for their eternal reward. They are not serving the pastor or coach; rather they are serving King Jesus who will give them an eternal reward. The role of the cell church coach is to encourage leaders to press on, knowing that Jesus sees their labor and will reward them. Yes, there will be moments of confrontation and challenge, but long-term motivation comes from encouragement.
So as you come to the end of the year, be sure to encourage your people for what they have done during the year. Bless them for serving Jesus wholeheartedly and be sure to appreciate them.
Finishing well also means celebrating the past trials. After all, God often does the deepest work during the hardest times. So wherever you are in cell ministry right now, be sure to finish well.
In the month of December, we’ll be exploring the topic of finishing well. Cell church pastors and leaders will take the first two weeks of December to blog about finishing the year well. If you’d like to receive these blogs in your email inbox each day, please sign up HERE. Here are some of the topics we will cover:
- Week 1 (December 06-12). Paul often gave final exhortations in his letters. What are the final exhortations that you need to give to your leaders? During this week we’ll talk about the place of exhortation and finishing well. It’s essential to encourage leaders long-term.
- Week 2 (December 13-19). Celebration. We’ll talk about celebrating with your leaders or cell members. What can you do to celebrate what God has done in your group? A party? Thanksgiving Cell? Banquet for leaders?
What will you do in December to finish well?
JCG news
New book: Children in Cell Ministry now available
Major 2016 JCG Event
We will have our annual JCG event in the Elim Reseda Church, on February 27, 2016. Mario Vega and Joel Comiskey will be ministering in Spanish and simultaneous English translation will be available. Place it on your calendar.
JCG offers coaching
Do you need help with your cell ministry? Perhaps you are making a transition to cell ministry and would like a coach to help you in the process. Or maybe you’re planing a new cell church. For more information on receiving coaching, please email us or call 1-888-511-9995.
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Blogs
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Donations
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Resources
New: 27 videos on cell church from Joel Comiskey
There are 27 videos on all aspects of cell church (with downloadable resources) on Ministry Grid. Check it out.
Free Ebook by Joel Comiskey and small group health assessment
Free Ebook from Joel Comiskey (Making Disciples in the 21st Century Church). Joel’s book is available at the end of the Thriving Small Groups Assessment. There is no catch to this. We are not asking for your contact information or trying to up-sell anything. At the end of the assessment, you will also discover the health of your small groups. I think you’ll find both of this free resources extremely helpful.
Joel Comiskey’s new book: 2000 Years of Small Groups
Ebook: 2000 Years of Small Groups
Bill Beckham’s new books
Check out Bill Beckham’s Second Reformation-Stage 2and 70: Jesus Explansion Strategy.