Cell Groups and Multiplication

Our church has long been structured on cell church lines. That is, we believe in large group meetings focussing on Worship and Instruction and small cell groups focussing on Fellowship, Encouragement and Evangelism. ...

Unlike many cell churches around the world, we have not seen the kind of multiplication I would have hoped for. The idea is that each group in the course of a year should roughly double in size through inviting friends and neighbours. Explosive multiplication it is called.

For all kinds of reasons we have not seen that occur.

I am excited, though, that this year we are starting a new group... so it's addition rather than multiplication. It's a start.

I am reminded that in the early church there was an addition phase: "The Lord added to their numbers each day those who were being saved." (Acts 2:47). Later they moved to multiplication: "So the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly." (Acts 6:7)

What are the factors that have inhibited our growth? Why have we found it so hard to increase in number, in cells or in our Sunday meetings?

There are all kinds of reasons, common to many churches in all kinds of settings and missionary structures. Personality issues (most of our people are quite introsepctive rather than brash and bold), spiritual issues (do we pray enough? are we convinced that evangelism is vital? do we have faith to believe that God can save people?).

I like what Joel Comiskey says: “Cells are born to multiply. The DNA of the cell is to give birth to a daughter cell. This is so essential that it will demand the total church concentration to ake this happen. In fact, it won’t happen under busy pastors who have too many things on their ind. Only through total concentration and focus will cells have the necessary resources to truly make them work.”

I hope that the church in Australia, including New Life Christian Fellowship, can recover what it means to concentrate on multiplying daughter cells.

It will take prayer and faith, boldness and confidence, work and discomfort. But in the grace of God we will see this church grow, and we will see many many people saved.

Blessings

Keith

[/color]