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To Cell or Not To Cell

We have all heard of the great Korean churches that are based on the cell system. Yet many churches wrestle with whether or not to move to cell group ministry. Some wonder if it is the biblical answer to church growth. Others say that since Paul used the analogy of the body, naturally healthy cells will grow a church. My position is that cell group ministry is a biblical method that can help a church grow, but the method alone is simply a tool.

Grace Assembly of God has grown rapidly the past 7 years, and we could not have been effective without cell groups. Cells help us develop ministries in the home context. People meet in small groups to discuss practical life application of the Sunday sermon, thus enabling us to lead the congregation in specific directions.

The pastoral staff cannot keep up with the new people coming to our church. So each pastor focuses on specific groups rather than trying to know everybody. In the context of small groups, people find their need for fellowship met. Cells help us maintain a family spirit in spite of the tight Sunday schedule where people do not have much time to fellowship. Not counting Sunday school or various special ministries, 50 percent of our congregation identifies with a cell group. (Some have bonded so closely they even take holidays together as families.)

We call our cells Agape Groups. New people find cell groups as another way of "plugging in" to the church. Most of our groups are geographically based depending on where people live in Singapore. Some are special-interest or ministry related; some cater to special language needs; and others are natural friendship groups.

Studies have shown that most Singaporean churches have grown from strong leadership and evangelism among family and job networks. Cell groups have been instrumental in uniting members within the larger church body.

AREAS OF CELL GROUP EFFECTIVENESS

We see cells as useful for fellowship, ministries and gifts (teaching, hospitality, evangelism, and other spiritual gifts), growth, and direction. Is your church already strong in these areas? Will your present approach continue to be effective as your church grows? If you answered yes, then you may not need a cell ministry at present. If your church is not effective in these areas, are you willing to pay the price to strengthen them?

Fellowship. The need for small group relationships is evident in the Bible. Even Jesus' twelve disciples were naturally divided into three groups. Churches met in houses, so informality, interaction, and practical application were possible. Paul had special people around him at all times for acceptability, encouragement, and ministry.

Strong fellowship is crucial for a strong church. The church is where members interact with other members. Life is shared. People feel valued and grow in the context of a healing, interacting community. In small groups Christians find themselves accountable to each other in terms of ministry, care, and discipleship. Newcomers immediately get to know other people who then introduce them to other friends in the church. New believers can be assimilated and cared for by the congregation.

Fellowship is powerful. From genuine koinonia, believers derive strength to face their problems, serve God, and move with His vision for their lives. Their dependence on the pastor is alleviated because genuine ministry and fellowship are taking place within their group.

Ministries and Gifts. When people care for others, motivation increases and ministries take root. The gifts of the Spirit can easily be exercised in small, personal, informal settings.

If pastors have trained their leaders to be sensitive to the Spirit, group leaders can encourage gifts to be exercised in the small group context. Individual believers feel important and are accountable in the exercise of their gifts. They cannot make off-based statements or wild prophecies that are never fulfilled because they know those present in the group see each other regularly.

Some hosts exercise the gift of hospitality. Others learn how to teach and lead discussion groups. Informal interaction and the ministry of the gifts of the Spirit are powerful in a nonthreatening small group setting.

Are gifts of evangelism already being exercised in your church? As pastor, are you attracting people to God through your ministry? Cell groups do not become evangelistic unless they are in a context of an evangelistic church. Simply dividing into cells does not automatically build fellowship, direction, or evangelism.

Growth. Church organization is one of the greatest hindrances to church growth. Its structure often does not allow pastors to pray, envision, or make crucial contacts to empower key leaders and impart the vision.

Because of our church's cell group structure, I am free, as the senior pastor, to take a leadership role rather than merely maintenance or management roles because much of the care giving is taking place in the cells. In some churches laypeople feel neglected because the pastor doesn't have enough time for every member. Is your church structured so the senior pastor is able to delegate leadership to laypersons who can then disciple others?

As a church grows larger than 75, it becomes difficult for one pastor to multiply the ministries if he or she is the one in charge of all the ministries. A church can only grow to the extent that the giftings of the congregation are put to use. The church will need to multiply staff or lay leaders who can assume the load. Many churches cannot grow beyond 100 in attendance because the structure will not sustain more growth. If a church is to grow, your pastoral skills must grow; other leaders must be trained; the worship service must be strengthened; the preaching quality must rise; and the organization must elevate from a small family operation to a more efficient structure.

Direction. What is the mission of your church? Why has God called you as pastor? Churches without a God-given vision for their communities will have dead cells. Many churches only have a general vision-to reach everybody. They believe they are faithful to God and hope all will come to hear the Word.

Get alone with your leaders and wait on God. Hear from Him before you carry on with your programs. Cell group ministry is a tool that must fit into the church's overall vision, not just a new tool that might work. Do not have cells just for the sake of cells. Fully understand why you're choosing to go with a cell program. If you are a senior pastor, are you prepared to invest time and energy to promote the cells as integral to the overall approach of your church? If not, cell groups will be ineffective.

Once you decide to start cell group ministry, you must then decide whether your use of cells is primarily for fellowship, for Bible study, or for moving the church in a specific direction. Maintaining effective cell group ministry requires energy and commitment.

A church must value what cells can accomplish. Some pastors see cells as useful for discipling new Christians or as therapy groups for former addicts, divorcees, etc. Grace Assembly of God uses cells to follow up Sunday sermons-to lead the congregation in the direction of applying God's truth practically.

Price. Be prepared to pay the price for cell group ministry. Cells require commitment and maintenance. They will usually require another night of the week for the already busy people in your congregation.

If you go with cells, an immediate tension will be felt between a family-oriented program and small group ministry. That is why churches feel you cannot be both a cell group church and a program-oriented church. Because of the complex nature of our church, we continue both.

Where do you find sufficient leaders and workers? Presently our worker to worship attendance ratio is about 1 to 3. We are careful not to add every new idea to our program. We don't want to overload our people. We choose programs that are important and effective. We are convinced that cell groups are necessary for our church, and we will pay the price to carry on this crucial ministry.

CONCLUSION

Whether you choose cells or not, you have no choice when it comes to developing genuine fellowship, worship, ministry in the Spirit, and restructuring your church to touch lives for Christ. Done properly, small group ministry is a great tool that fits the biblical analogy and meets the biblical imperatives discussed in this article. Cells can free your church to face the future.

The real questions are: How effective is your church at fulfilling the biblical imperatives? Does your present organizational structure offer the potential to fulfill your church's vision? If not, what are you doing about it?

David Lim is senior pastor of Grace Assembly of God, Singapore.