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The Cell Church
The Nature of Church as Replicating Faith Community
S. J. Earl P. Canlas
I. Cell As The Nature Of Living Entities
II. Between Cell Church and other Christian Group Formations
Small group ministries involving at least 7 – 12 (and up to 16 max) members plus a leader may take the form of a weekly gathering for Bible study, fellowship, prayer and mutual covenant faith group. These meetings occur on days other than Sundays.
Other “micro church” formation models include the extension church, the house church, even the “visiting team and host family” process – all of which are connected to a local church and its ministries. These meet more probably also on Sundays at venues other than the local church.
Whatever organizational pattern is followed from the above micro-church models, a cell-model ministry may only be defined with:
a)Regularity of group meetings at least weekly, b)Sense and practice of priesthood of all
believers, c) Continuous leadership and leadership
formation from among cell members, d)“Replication” of groups, and e)Continuing progress in the “faith-heritage”
cycle.
The distinction between cell ministry in the church and the cell-model church is reached when every member of the church accepts the priority of being part of (at least) one cell group as inseparable part of church life.
As in the small group/class of early Methodism, some new churches or Christian fellowships require cell group membership as part of the discipline and requirement of legitimate church membership.
Today, class/cell ministry is but an optional part of life and membership in the local churches of the UMC, unlike during John Wesley’s time.
Everyone starts as a receiver in the “faith-heritage” process.
This can happen between teacher and class, parent and children, pastor and church members, or leader and group, etc.
The faith-heritage process needed for cell ministry can be briefly shown in the diagram as follows:
The initial
interactive
process
between
source (A1)
and the
receiver (A)
is the most
basic
relationship
in the
process of
discipleship.
(A1)
persons
(leader,
pastor,
teacher)
are “basic”
personal
factors in
the faith-
heritage
process.
The continuity
of (A1)'s roles
are
indispensable
to the basic
discipleship
interaction and
to the
sustainability of
cell-type
ministry. The A1 person is a “push”
factor in the faith-heritage process into full cycle by (eg. assuming leadership of a new cell).
• Stages (A) to (E) are internal or personal progression of the receiver in the discipleship process. This is the intended “full transformation” process needed for cell-type ministries.
• The (E) to (A1) stage is the “outgoing” or “sending” process for the former (A) person. The receiver becomes an (A1) person, a sharer and leader in the official sense of coordinating a new cell of church members.
The (E) to (A1) stage requires a formal training session and an on-the-job process of assuming leadership.
The (E) to (A1) stage is completed when cell membership is appropriated into 2 or 3 cell divisions depending on the number of new leaders and the current cell size (between 14 to 16)
Definitely, a cell church system presupposes a life system of nurture, growth, sharing inter-relationships, living witness, and propagation of members, leaders and cell groups. Anything short of this is not a cell church system.
The cell is a life system of itself but it is also part of a larger life system and larger community. The same is true for the cell group or cell church.
The cell group grows the parts of the cell
church. The cell church in turn takes part in the many
other functions of the larger church system and the larger community.
Acknowledgement
First edition format by: Lynn Basan
Second edition format by: Benin Clarion Canlas
Layout of Faith-heritage process by: Lynn Basan