Transformation through carecells

In looking at the small group pattern in Acts 2, we find certain obvious characteristics. First, while they did devote themselves to the apostles’ teaching, there was more to what we have come to term CareCells, than just Bible Study. If you want your CareCells to impact and transform your community, they cannot be primarily Bible Study groups.

 

Bible Study will attract mostly Christians. The very name will discourage non-Christians from coming. In fact, we prefer to call such persons “pre-believers”. Being called a pre-believer is not as “excluding” as being called a “non-Christian".

Second, the Acts CareCells were not only prayer groups. The early church was known for its fervent, effective prayer, but to label the groups “prayer cells” would definitely be too narrow. Yet, did they pray in the CareCells? Definitely! Today too, cell members pray for their friends and family. They will go prayer walking and pray for people in the community. Yes, they will become mighty prayer warriors. Yet, CareCells are more than groups of Christians who gather just for prayer.

While there certainly was close fellowship, there was, thirdly, much more than mere fellowship going on in those groups. Their fellowship was a deeper kind. A deep bonding of relationships took place, where “community” was developed. Members experienced a sense of belonging, and manifested caring and sharing in tangible ways. Real pastoral care was extended to everyone. Accountability was there; support and community life was real and valued.

From the day of Pentecost, the Church grew exponentially. Yet the Bible does not seem to indicate that there was any problem accommodating the increasing numbers of people who were being saved. How was this possible?

We know that the believers in the first century met constantly in homes (Acts 2:46-47). They were not limited by needing to build an increasing number of buildings. Paul said he had proclaimed the truth of the gospel publicly and from house to house (Acts 20:20). His fellow workers, Priscilla and Aquila, had one such group that met in their home (Romans 16:3-5).

What You Call It Does Matter
What we call our small groups is important. Believe me, I tried a few different names before I realized that our name could be both a stumbling block to evangelism and a miscommunication of our objectives for cells.

For example, what does the name “Prayer Cells” communicate? It tells me that a cell is a place for Christians to come and pray or for others to come to be prayed for by Christians. The name, “Fellowship Groups” tells me that I can come here to find a place to “hang out” and talk, when I feel like I want to be around people. Neither of these names communicated that a cell member should be “involved” in ministry.

After several name changes, we finally prayed again and said, “God, you must direct our choice of names for cells and every other area of this ministry so that the language will communicate internationally and not just locally. Your kingdom is universal; our language should be the same.

That was when we adopted the name “CareCell”. CareCells communicates our objective: Contact And Relate to Everyone. The groups are not to be inward looking, but to focus outward to the community, to believers, pre-believers, churched and unchurched, to everyone. Yes, there is also mutual caring and sharing that is experienced in every cell. This change of name has helped keep the CareCells focused on their primary objectives: 1) Evangelism & Nurture; 2) Pastoral Care; and 3) Leadership Development.

POWERFUL PRINCIPLES
That Make CareCells Work
If we look very closely, there were underlying principles that made the First Century CareCells work. Without these principles, any attempt at implementing CareCells is doomed to fail.

1. CareCells must be the basic unit (building block) of the Church. Everything--and I mean everything--flows in and through the CareCells in the local church. Through these CareCells relationships are built, evangelism takes place, new Christians are nurtured, pastoral care is given and new leaders are developed.

Carl George, in his book The Coming Church Revolution, explains what he calls the “Meta Globe” way of looking at your local church. It is possible to use his concept to “see” your church and diagnose where and why you may be having problems. Our team, led by Chee Kang Seng and Dominic Yeo, has modified and used this tool (with Dr George’s permission) in many countries of the world with amazing success. It is a real eye-opener for pastors to see the importance of restructuring cells in their church.

2. Every believer can and should be a spiritual parent. A spiritual parent (SP) is one who has been trained how to share their faith with others and then to nurture that “new baby” to become a reproducing disciple of Jesus Christ. Every trained and commissioned SP will make a commitment to pray for, win and nurture at least two people every year. Few may realize that the genius strategy of the world’s largest church is really very simple. Each cell group is to grow annually by an average of just two people. This is a very manageable goal, which produces amazing growth.

Larry Kreider said in his book, The Cry for Spiritual Fathers and Mothers: “Cell ministry without the dynamic of spiritual fathering and mothering [spiritual parents] will quickly become a dead church program.”

For too long, the laity have been relegated to the spectator stands and made to watch as the clergy have done the work of the ministry. Have we been wrong! The Apostle Paul reminds us in his second letter to the church at Corinth that it was God, Himself, who gave everyone a ministry and committed to everyone a message. Therefore every believer has the “ministry of reconciliation.”

According to Ephesians 4:11-16, it is the saints who must do the work of the ministry, not the pastor. The Great Commission is such a mammoth task that God knew it could not be fulfilled unless every believer was mobilized to do the ministry of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:18-20).

You might say that the myth, which says the New Testament does not give the church any instructions on how to organize the church is DEAD WRONG! It would be totally correct to say that 2 Corinthians 5:18-20 is a job description for every believer. Then in Ephesians 4:11-16 we see a job description for every person gifted in one or more of the five-fold ministries. Pastor, what is our job description? It is to equip the saints FOR the work of ministry.

3. Leaders must be developed through relational discipleship. Jesus invested most of His time with the twelve disciples. He was not distracted from His task of making disciples, even though speaking to the adoring crowds seemed much more glamorous. These disciples were on a three-year internship with Him. They received on-the-job training. They were taught both by instruction and by modeling.
In order to disciple them, Jesus did not separate them into a monastery nor did He try to just instruct them in a classroom. He taught them in a life-related context. He used daily events that the people understood well to teach divine truth. He showed them how God was relevant to their everyday life. He did not train them in a formal and distant manner. He gave each disciple the opportunity to relate to Him, to be with Him, and to do what He did (Mark 3:14).
Joel Comiskey, in his book Reap the Harvest, says: “Cell ministry presents what is perhaps the most excellent opportunity for every person to fulfill his or her role as ministers. Small group leaders are enabled to minister, pastor, counsel, visit, evangelize and exercise their leadership.” In the cells, each new leader is mentored and trained on the job. That, coupled with personal accountability and encouragement, constitutes relational discipleship.

4. The purpose of CareCells is evangelism and nurturing. CareCells are focused on three very clear objectives. Firstly, they are to evangelize and nurture people in their community. Secondly, they are the primary “pastoral care” givers of the church. Every SP, Associate Leader and Leader is trained in the skills necessary to fulfill this ministry. Thirdly, it is in the CareCell that potential leaders are discovered. Their spiritual gifts are developed in the cell and they are then released into a larger sphere of ministry.
May I quickly add, that many other things begin to happen in the process of meeting the main objectives. The Word of God is discussed, prayer is going on at every level, and deep relationships are formed as cell members fellowship together by drinking coffee, by prayer walking the community, or by going to the hospital to pray for someone. But these could be termed the “by-products,” not the primary objectives. The overall goal of the CareCell is community transformation through the process of multiplication.

5. The CareCell Leader is a facilitator, not a teacher. There is no preaching or teaching in the CareCells. Each CareCell leader is a facilitator. He or she facilitates discussion and self-discovery among all who attend. The emphasis is on life application, not knowledge accumulation. This alone will “free” many people to become involved as leaders, as the “fear” of having to be a teacher (a guru with all the answers) is removed. It is all right for the leader to admit he does not know something and to call in another leader to facilitate the discussion of a specific topic.

6. The nurturing tools must be able to be used in a repeatable cycle. In the open CareCells, the primary objective is evangelism. They do not discuss the pastor’s sermons. You do not need to tell people to do that; they are going to discuss it anyway. Rarely, however, would the pastor’s sermons offer consistent content that would allow people at different levels of spiritual maturity to grow effectively. Thus you need to have a separate set of “tools” to be used in the CareCells that is both “limited” to the objective, yet allows for a “repeatable cycle” to take place every time a new person comes into the cell. Functional steps would follow this pattern. First, a person will experience the materials (tools); then they would combine with their SP or leader; later, they are trained to use the tools as they become leaders of new people who come into the cell groups. Since your tools are producing your desired “product” thus you do not change the tools each time you have a new person in your cell. Same tools produce the same kind of product. First you are a learner then you become a leader. You continue to use the tools over and over--a repeatable cycle.

7. The “sub-group” concept is essential. One of the unique features of the CareCell is the way their meetings are conducted. Cell members can come together as one group in a home, office, park, school, hospital, or army camp. They have times of prayer and maybe testimonies, but when it comes time to discuss the “lesson” for the evening, they create “sub-groups.” Each group is formed according to their level of spiritual maturity. Thus you could have three sub groups: one for pre-believers; one for new Christians; and another for the older or more mature Christians. In this way you can focus on meeting the needs, and discussing and answering questions which would be coming from similar levels of understanding. This also means the CareCell is always ready to assimilate new people while meeting the needs of growing Christians.

8. Two tracks are necessary for the “train” to run. Every church needs to have the necessary infrastructure to facilitate its vision. For instance, there are two tracks that must be in place. One track is the CareCell track in the structure of the church. The second track is the equipping track in the church. Each track is running parallel to the other. In a classroom environment, the equipping track should do the empowering and training of believers in Bible knowledge and the skills necessary for ministry. The CareCells should emphasize the evangelism and nurturing of converts.

PRACTICAL PROPOSALS
1. Expect growth, but not instantly. If you think CareCells are a quick-fix method for growth, you will be disappointed. While the cell-based church will result in growth, it is not primarily a church growth method. Initially, it may seem to be slow, but gains momentum as you begin to see steady growth in the church. However, in some instances, CareCells could have the opposite effect. Some people simply don’t want to do more than warm the pew. But then again, we cannot totally blame the people. We as pastors have failed to teach and train our congregations properly. As a result they are still living with clergy/laity concepts and functions that are carry-overs from the Dark Ages.

For example, the pastor of a certain church constantly depended upon big-name speakers and events to attract the crowds. He soon discovered that the people began to enjoy being “entertained.” Thus when he changed his focus and vision for the church to CareCells and ministry involvement, suddenly half the congregation decided that God had “called them” to another church. Face it, many people just do not want to "grow up." The question is this: “Is the pastor willing to pay the price?” It is obvious that change must take place. Change must begin with the pastor!

2. Cells must be more than just another department. Ever tried having cells as an appendage in your body? You can’t. It is impossible. Cells are the building blocks of every organ in your body; it is the basic component of life. In the same way, you cannot have CareCells as a ministry or department in your church. CareCells are the basic life form of the cell-based church. The cell-based church is organized and functions in and through CareCells. They must become the basic building block, or cells will not work at all. In some ways, having CareCells is like having children. You cannot have kids “on the side” and hope for minimal disruptions to your lifestyle. Once you have children, you are in it for the long haul--the next 18 years, at least. Just ask any mom or dad. Similarly, CareCells are not something you “try” or merely dabble in. Either go all the way or not at all. Yet both Carl George and George Barna would agree, in their opinions, churches that are not cell based in the new millennium will become a declining bred.

3. Values must change before structure. Just dividing people into small groups does not make your church a cell-based church. The cell-based church is not only a structure; it carries with it inherent values. For instance, does your church value the priesthood of all believers? Leadership development? Vision? Evangelism? Nurturing? Spiritual gifts? Community life? Expectant prayer? Without these values, you will not have an effective cell-based church. Carl George quotes David McKenna in his book, Prepare Your Church for the Future, saying “church leaders must remember that the Information Age brings with it a set of values and priorities, just as does every other ‘ism’ and trend.” This would leave us to answer the question, “Are we, the church, prepared for the rapid changes going on in today’s society?” George even suggests that unless we are able to cope with change, our ability to influence others will diminish.
Therefore, you must cast a new vision. Paint the church as Jesus envisioned it to become. You do this through your preaching and teaching from the pulpit and in other meetings with your leaders and members. Vision can help change values. You are helping people to have a paradigm shift concerning what is important so they can embrace the changes. Remember, behavior flows out of values. You must first know what God expects before you can accept and value the things God values, desire the things God desires, want to become what God has destined you to become. Changing values is like the church becoming a new wineskin prepared for God’s new wine.

4. Methods and materials alone are not enough. Healthy churches are a result of applying God’s principles, not merely methods and materials. All too often, pastors get inspired by what someone else is doing, and applies it wholesale to their own context without distilling the principles from the methodology. You must depend on God (not methods alone) and have a transferable model.
Remember, principles are timeless and transcend culture. The model of CareCells has proven to be a transferable model. Romania has pioneered churches using cells. In India, churches have grown from 120 to 500 in two years. Another church grew from 800 to almost 4,000. In Mar de Plata, Argentina pastors in the city are adopting CareCells as part of their city taking strategy. Churches in India, Asia, Latin America, Romania, Poland and Africa are all experiencing dynamic transformation since transitioning from old methods to CareCells. I believe, now is the time for dynamic transformation in America, but remember, the pastor is the key. Check out different models for cells. Hear from God, know His vision for your church, and then choose one model of cells that will achieve your desired objectives. A word of caution: don’t mix different methods together. If you do, you never know what “product” you will get. Each method has been designed to achieve certain objectives. Thus mixing them makes it difficult to determine your outcome.

PERCEPTIVE PORTRAITS
Transitioning into a cell-based church requires a paradigm shift in our thinking concerning WHO does the work of ministry. It also spells major changes in the WAY we do ministry.

1. Evangelism. The saints are to do the work of the ministry, and the five-fold ministries must equip them to do the ministry. The lay people are in contact with the lost (pre-believers) every day–at home, in schools, at the workplace–and they have access to networks of relationships that the full-time pastor and evangelist does not have. The responsibility of the evangelist, then, is to equip the saints to win souls. Each of the five-fold ministries should equip believers according to their “gift” to the body.

2. Pastoral care. The primary task of the pastor is to equip the saints for the work of the ministry. If this is to take place effectively, then the pastor cannot spend all his or her time praying for people, visiting the sick, and dedicating babies. There will not be enough pastors to go around! These are ministry tasks that lay people can be trained to do–and do effectively. The members should also be taught that their pastor will not be there on every occasion.

3. Nurture and discipleship. We are commanded to make disciples, not converts. The disciple-making process starts with evangelism, but it does not end there. Every new Christian must be nurtured, and every growing Christian must be discipled. This nurturing takes place not in the classroom, where a teacher lectures from a didactic point of view, but first in an open (evangelistic) cell, then as they grow spiritually they become a SP and part of a Leadership CareCell, where there are relationships, transparency and accountability.

4. Equipping. For too long we have confused Sunday school with equipping. Sadly, even seminaries have trained people in Christian Education, with their main focus on preparing pastors and leaders to work with children--rather than producing pastors and leaders who know the demands of Christ or developing an equipping track to prepare every believer for their divine calling and destiny.

In Matthew 28:18-20, Jesus said, “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” What was He saying? First, the only imperative in this verse is “Make disciples.” We celebrate conversions and neglect disciple making. It is not either/or; it must be both/and.
The word “teaching” that Jesus used has the meaning not of didactic impartation, but rather teaching that equals training. That means teaching and training that includes both Bible knowledge and skills for ministry. Unfortunately, we have concentrated on the former–the Bible knowledge. This has been done to the neglect of training (equipping) the saints in the necessary skills for them to do the work of the ministry. Equipping is for every Christian, not just for the clergy. Every believer must be equipped with skills to do works of ministry, not just filled with knowledge. Equip everyone to pray for, win, and nurture the lost.

PERSONAL PERSPECTIVES
The Pastor is the KEY.CareCells are not an “end”; they are only the beginning of a process required to fulfill the Great Commission.

1. Make leadership development your priority. John Maxwell puts it this way: Add a follower, and you add one person to your organization. Develop a leader, and you add fifteen people to your church. Jesus had a “Leadership CareCell” of twelve. He invested most of His time with them, and not with the crowds. In fact, He seemed to want to get away from the crowds and spend time teaching them. Because Jesus developed them, these disciples became the leaders of the first century church.

2. Be willing to pay the price. The full-time pastor must give up his or her need to be needed. There is also the temptation to seek the personal fulfillment that comes from being in close contact with every member. You must now multiply yourself by relating with and mentoring mainly your leaders--your inner circle. They will then minister to the membership. As Peter Wagner pointed out in his book, The Healthy Church, there are four axioms for church growth. His first axiom declares that the “pastor must want the church to grow and be willing to pay the price.” He goes on to say, this includes the pastor’s sharing ministry with other staff and even laity. Think of it this way: Is it possible for me, as a pastor, to visit every member of my congregation, attend every graduation, counsel every family, be in every hospital? The answer is obvious–NO WAY!

Here is a question that can help our thinking: What is my calling as a pastor? Peter Wagner suggested that we change our self-concept from being shepherds to becoming ranchers. Therefore, am I called to personally “pick up every sheep?” NO. However, I am called to make sure every sheep is “picked up.” How do I do that? By training and equipping every believer to function according to Ephesians 4:11-12.
This can seem scary at first, but it is necessary if the church is to become a first century church and grow exponentially through the power of multiplication. In other words, the pastor must be willing to change!

3. Equip and mentor people for ministry. If the believers do the work of the ministry, what do the pastors do? Pastors, along with the other five-fold ministries, “prepare God’s people for works of ministry” (Ephesians 4:12). Pastors, trust your lay people! Don’t be afraid to share the “tricks of the trade” with your leaders. Equip them, and release them to serve. Let them know that you will be there to help if they should encounter any difficult situation. You are their coach.

Are you ready to see God’s purposes fulfilled in the world; that His will be done on earth as it is in heaven? Catch God’s vision for His church and then learn strategic ways to make it happen. It is proven that cell-based churches demonstrating true Christian community will make a tremendous impact for God’s kingdom as communities and will transform whole cities for the glory of God.

John Eckhardt in his book, Moving in the Apostolic, points out: “The Lord wants to know the capacity of our local churches. What is the length and breadth of your ministry? What are the spiritual dimensions of your church? Can your local churches really handle the multitudes that will come? Do we have the capacity to nurture, teach, and train them? Are we poised for church growth?”

Even under extreme persecution the early church grew in numbers and spread to cover the whole earth. How did they do it? They did it because every believer was active in CareCells and functioning with an apostolic anointing—a sense of sent-ness.

Friends, I am convinced that God wants an apostolic people and apostolic churches powerfully invading the land and establishing God’s reign. Then we will see that the harvest fields of today become God’s harvest force for tomorrow.