Healthy Cell Ministry

7/24/2019 Healthy Cell Ministry

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Articles> Healthy Cell MinistryBy Larry KreiderIt was the early 1980s, and my friend, Ibrahim Omondi, from Nairobi, Kenyaknew his people were not livin !p to their f!ll potential" #avin a keen

interest in the $ell $h!r$h $on$ept, he so!ht for a workin model beforeret!rnin to %fri$a and asked to &ta alon' as I served as a pastor in o!r $ell(based $h!r$h" O!r $h!r$h had been birthed several years earlier in)ennsylvania and was in the pro$ess of rowin from one $ell to *+00believers meetin in $ells d!rin its first few years"Ibrahim wat$hed and listened" #e observed how $ell ro!p ministry was apla$e where everyone had the opport!nity to eperien$e and demonstrate-hristianity b!ilt on relationships rather than meetins" #e saw how o!revanelism(fo$!sed small ro!ps reprod!$ed themselves while rea$hin o!tto the lost in their $omm!nities"

One day, my %fri$an brother opened his heart" .eepin, he !nb!rdened,&.estern evanelists $ome to my nation and hold massive $r!sades" /he /$ameras are rollin" .hen the evanelist asks my brothers to raise theirhands to re$eive -hrist, many respond" /he net week, another evanelist$omes to town, and many of my same brothers $ome to the $r!sade and raisetheir hands aain" y people need a sense of dinity, where every individ!albeliever !nderstands he is important to 2od and to #is p!rposes" .e need anew model of $h!r$h life"'Ibrahim ret!rned to Kenya, led his neihbors to -hrist and started a $ell ro!pin his home" -ells were soon birthed thro!ho!t Nairobi, and a new $ell$h!r$h was born" Before lon, $ells were started in neihborin areas of the$ity, m!ltiplyin into do3ens of $ells and $ell(based $h!r$hes thro!ho!tKenya and into 4anda" /oday, Ibrahim has a vision to train leaders to start$ells and $elebrations thro!ho!t %fri$a" Ibrahim5s people have re$eived anew sense of dinity6.hen I shared the vision of New /estament $ell ministry in %!$kland, New7ealand, I met obert" #e listened intently as I spoke abo!t es!s spendinmost of #is time with the twelve dis$iples:#is $ell" I dis$!ssed 2od5s $all onevery saint to be a minister as stated in ;phesians or more than *0 years, I tried to find doors that wo!ld open for meto f!lfill this $all" %s I !nderstood it, the only way to be a minister was to beordained after $ompletin years of theoloi$al trainin" ?ometime ba$k, I led a
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man to the Lord, dis$ipled him and wat$hed him row" It was so f!lfillin" Ireali3e toniht, I am a minister6'

% heavy load dropped off obert5s ba$k" obert reali3ed he $o!ld f!lfill theLord5s $all to minister by dis$iplin new believers in a small ro!p" #e did notneed a title or a deree to be a minister" #e was one6ohn .esley, the fo!nder of the ethodist -h!r$h, believed one o!t of everyfive persons was a potential leader" /hro!h his ehortation, the .esleyanmovement spread thro!ho!t the nations" 2od5s people worked o!t their$allin as ministers and opened their homes for $lass meetins, similar to$ells" ;a$h person had a sense of f!lfillment and dinity"/his is a !niversal problem6 -hristians are not livin !p to their potential asministers and be$omin spirit!ally r!sted and paraly3ed be$a!se they do notstrive to f!lfill their $allin" inistry $onfined to a few in a $h!r$h b!ildinleaves limited opport!nity for tr!e ministry" /hat5s why $ell ministry iseplodin thro!ho!t the world today" #ealthy $ell ministry makes room forevery person to $omplete the mission of o!r Lord es!s"Powerful Principle: Scriptural values: more important than the cellprogram

%fter two de$ades of bein involved in $ell ministry, I am $onvin$ed that $ellro!ps provide an ideal settin for believers to live in basi$ -hristian$omm!nity and rea$h o!t to others" #owever, in$orporatin a $ell proram isno !arantee that a $h!r$h will be healthy and rowin" -ell ministry m!st bebased on relationships and bibli$al val!es, not on a ood $ell proram"/he $ell is intended to be a pla$e where a spirit!al family is rown:where

spirit!al fathers and mothers train and release their spirit!al $hildren to starttheir own families @I ohn *=1*(1


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Lord will draw m!ltit!des into #is kindom" #e is $allin the $h!r$h to preparenew wineskins @new $ell ro!psA to $ontain the new wine of #is harvest@atthew 9=+CD atthew 9=1CD ohn o$!sin o!tward brins life@ark 1=1CD II /imothy


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stron in the entire $h!r$h" 2od b!ilds livin stones toether thro!h themortar of healthy relationships @I )eter *=ED ;phesians


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$h!r$h was ready for neither" /he $ell str!$t!re addresses both of theseneeds" It de$entrali3es the $h!r$h in s!$h a way that open hostility $annotaffe$t it as radi$ally:as ill!strated by the thrivin ho!se $h!r$h movement in-hina" %lso, it provides assimilation points where the $h!r$h $an brin new$onverts into a relational environment"'/oday, Bethany .orld )rayer -enter in Baker, Lo!isiana, is a dominant $ell$h!r$h in the 4nited ?tates with C,000 worshippers and over E00 $ell ro!ps".hen they transitioned to a $ell $h!r$h in 199+, they $on$entrated onrea$hin new $onverts and visitors" % hih per$entae of the eistin$onreation, seein the benefits of a $ell relationship, also be$ame involvedin $ell ro!ps"-ell ro!p evanelism is seen as a ro!p effort" ;veryone is en$o!raed toinvite his or her friends" %bo!t 90 per$ent of the $ell ro!ps are based onrelationships already established thro!h family, the workpla$e, s$hool orsports" /hose who re$eive -hrist or visit the $h!r$h5s $elebration servi$e areimmediately met by a $ell leader who invites them to a $ell and visits theirhome"y friend, im )es$e, started #arvest >amily -omm!nity -h!r$h in Keswi$k,Ontario in 199G as a $ell(based $h!r$h" #is personal insihts here show !show he started from s$rat$h and trained new believers for $ell ministry"&Before we started $ell ministry, my wife Heb and I were involved in ministryfor fifteen years and saw h!ndreds $ome to -hrist" B!t we5ve dis$overed thatit is those people we fathered that are the ones oin on with the Lord indevotion and ministry as we m!ltiplied o!rselves thro!h them" ?o, at the start

of o!r $ell ministry, Heb and I spent most of o!r time with abo!t si newlysaved $o!ples" .e not only ministered as a team b!t $hose to spend free timetoether havin f!n" /his is important" ost new -hristians need more $areand s!pport than instr!$tion" .e5ve also dis$overed that the ones we bro!htto -hrist are the $losest to !s" /hey have o!r &spirit!al HN%,' they share o!rvision and o!r hearts"&In the last two years, as more families $ame to -hrist, we m!ltiplied o!r $ellsand kept mentorin more $o!ples" /oday, #arvest is made !p of 8< newlysaved believers" %fter three and one half years of mentorin ministry, we nowhave 10E people involved in $ells with ** people $apable of leadin and

rowin $ells" /his shows the power of mentorin $onsiderin the fa$t that westarted from s$rat$h with almost all new -hristians"';L%N-O HO; -hristian >ellowship, one of the eleven $ell(based HO;partner $h!r$hes in so!th($entral )ennsylvania, is an eample of a smaller$ell $h!r$h that has learned the importan$e of bein fleible in $ell ministry"

%fter a few years as a $ell(based $h!r$h, they reali3ed that the deli$atebalan$e between maintainin the intima$y of the $ell ro!ps while attemptin


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to evaneli3e had broken down" /heir $ell ro!ps la$ked life and were notm!ltiplyin"ather than $ontin!e with si$kly $ells, they took the radi$al ro!te and de$idedto disband the $ells $ompletely" /hey went ba$k to sF!are one and de$ided toreb!ild" /hey have now started over with two new $ells led by the two $h!r$hleaders, and very soon plan to m!ltiply into fo!r $ells" al!in relationships isnow a priority as $ell members spend informal time with ea$h other and invitenew people to oin them" &It was a learnin eperien$e, b!t we have arenewed love for ea$h other and passion for the lost,' said Nelson artin,pastor of ;L%N-O HO;" ?ometimes the old m!st die to make room for thenew to $ome"I believe these $h!r$hes and many other $ell(based $h!r$hes a$ross theworld will aree that there is no mai$ form!la for healthy $ell ro!p ministry" ItreF!ires $omin fa$e to fa$e with people5s problems and pain, not bein afraidof $hane, and learnin to be fleible in the pro$ess"It works be$a!se people in a!thenti$ relationships with ea$h other with a oalto rea$h their world for es!s are a powerf!l $ombination"Personal Perspectives: +ont ma%e these mista%es,Learnin to train, empower and release people thro!h $ell ministry is a$hallene" H!rin the past two de$ades of $ell(based ministry, we have mademany mistakes and have often had to stop and make $o!rse $orre$tions"

%ltho!h not a $omprehensive list, by far, we want to share some of the maorbl!nders we made in hopes that yo! will learn from them"La$k of $lear trainin for $ell leaders and assistant leaders" % healthy $ell

ministry needs=1" to have a trainin tra$k for new $ell leaders"*" to have $h!r$h leaders meet with $ell leaders monthly for trainin"+" to have on(the(ob(trainin as $ell leaders mentor assistant $ell leaders

for f!t!re leadership".henever we be$ame la in trainin, we paid the pri$e"-ompromisin the 2od(iven vision2alatians 1=10 tells !s that if we are a slave to men @seekin to please menA,we $annot be a servant of -hrist" Beware of the miratory flo$k that miratesfrom $h!r$h to $h!r$h" /hese people will press!re yo! to ret!rn to old ways of

doin thins" It is easy to o ba$k to a &meetin mentality"' -ell ministry takesa lot of hard work6 ision m!st be spoken and $omm!ni$ated p!bli$ly at least*0 times per year" #abakk!k *=* tells !s to write the vision down">orettin the p!rpose of the $ell is o!trea$h

%llowin $ells to lose vision for o!trea$h and evanelism and only$on$entratin on their needs is a maor mistake6 /he Head ?ea is stanantbe$a!se all the rivers r!n into it and none flow o!t" Inrown toenails $a!se


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pain to the body be$a!se they fo$!s inward" /he $h!r$h is not a hospital b!tan army" %rmies have medi$al !nits for people to et healed, b!t they are thensent ba$k o!t to battle" .e are $alled to be fishers of men @ark 1=1CA" In thebook of %$ts, ea$h day those bein saved were added to the $h!r$h @%$ts*=


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%nd remember, the $ell meetin sho!ld not be a miniat!re ?!nday

mornin $elebration meetin6

?pend time prayin for the lost and rea$hin the !n$h!r$hed toether

as a ro!p"

Practical Proposals -/ips for those transitionin to or startin $ell ministry>or $h!r$hes wishin to transition to $ell ro!ps, here are some val!able keysto open the doors to movin into healthy $ell ministry"Prayer is the master %ey, !nlo$kin the rest" %s a senior pastor, pray withyo!r leadership !ntil the s$ript!ral val!es of $ell ministry are settled in yo!rheart and theirs" Otherwise, people will not have faith for the $hane";veryone in leadership m!st make the paradim shift or there will event!allybe fr!stration" If the elders are not all at the same pla$e, do not &o p!bli$'!ntil they are" Otherwise yo! open the door for the devil to $a!se a $h!r$hsplit and division"

ead the way and spea% the vision over and over again" %fter yo! havemade yo!r de$ision to transition, ref!se to look ba$k6 ost pastors who beinthe pro$ess of transitionin to be$ome a $h!r$h with $ell ministry are temptedto F!it midway thro!h the pro$ess" /r!st the Lord for ra$e to $omplete thatwhi$h #e has started" /akin the key leaders to a $onferen$e or seminar on$ell ministry $an help others in leadership to &$at$h the vision"' ;veryone m!stbe in !nity and willin to move ahead with the vision 2od has iven"+ont move too fast.%llow the #oly ?pirit the time #e needs to $hanepeople5s val!es" -omm!ni$ate where yo! are oin and how yo! plan to etthere" Ho not abr!ptly stop all prorams" @?ome may be ood6A His$ontin!e

any prorams that yo! $an witho!t $a!sin the believers in the $h!r$h tooverly rea$t" ove slowly and prayerf!lly6Choose %ey peopleand start a prototype $ell where they $an eperien$e thedynami$s of small ro!p ministry" .at$h over the $ell leaders as they rowspirit!ally and bein their own $ells"?tay fleible and en$o!rae many kinds of $ells )rovide whatever newwineskins are needed for everyone to &$onne$t' to a small ro!p of people"#ave $ell ro!ps for those who have $ommon interests" If yo! are a small$h!r$h, meet in a home rather than at the $h!r$h b!ildin for yo!r weeknihtmeetin" /his meetin $an be$ome a $ell ro!p that will m!ltiply into two $ells"

&e teacha#le and learn from others.No one has all the tr!th" o! m!st findand apply what 2od wants yo! to do in yo!r parti$!lar lo$al area and listen$losely to #is voi$e"

%fter pastorin a $ell $h!r$h for 1E years, the Lord led !s to de$entrali3e one$ell(based $h!r$h to be$ome a family of eiht $ell(based $h!r$hes in)ennsylvania in 199G" /oday, as $ells and $ell $h!r$hes $ontin!e to be birthedand m!ltiply, I have the privilee of servin with a team of leaders who train


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and oversee $ell(based pastors and $h!r$h planters in more than G0 $ell(based $h!r$hes thro!ho!t the world"

%s I travel nearly every weekend ivin trainin to the body of -hrist in $ellministry, I am more $onvin$ed than ever that the harvest is !pon !s6 ;verysaint m!st $apt!re the revelation of the $all to minister" #ealthy $ell ministryrows as believers serve one another and en$o!rae ea$h other towardmat!rity while they rea$h the world" -ell ministry sets the stae for ea$hperson to have a sense of f!lfillment and dinity6

Healthy Cell Ministry

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