The Growth Level of programming involves providing events and contexts that will help youth as they develop their faith. The Windsor youth group's main context for growth are the weekly cell group meetings. Behind this strategy is the belief that life change happens most effectively in small groups. It should be remembered that a number of options are available in which growth takes place beyond these small groups, such as church services; extended-length learning events such as retreats and camps; involvement in various events (Christian youth grow as they work among pre-Christian youth at Contact Level events or among seekers at Rave Events); etc. The cell groups are not the only context in which growth takes place. However, this article will focus on cell groups as it is at the heart of the Growth Event at Windsor.
1. Understanding Cells
What is a cell group? It is a group of people who meet on a regular basis for prayer, Bible study and fellowship. The value of cell groups lie in two ministry principles: (a) real-life change happens in small groups - people can be impressed from a distance, but are only impacted up close; and (b) youth groups grow larger as they grow smaller - young people are looking for friendship and intimacy which are difficult to find in large meetings.
There are two approaches to options when it comes to cell groups and youth ministry:
A. Cell-Based Youth Ministry (Cell Church)
This approach redesigns the all ministry around cell groups which are the forum for ministry, equipping, discipleship, and evangelism. Cells also cluster together for weekly or biweekly congregation meetings and celebrations. While these meetings are important, the focus is on the weekly cell meetings in homes. Ralph Neighbour in, Where Do We Go From Here, spells out this approach for ministry.
B. Cells in Youth Ministry (Church with Cells)
A second approach is to use cell groups within the larger model of youth ministry. Here cells could be used to follow up new converts or disciple Christian youth. Large events are still held within the youth group, but at a certain level of commitment Bible study events function using all the principles of cell ministry. A youth pastor on a email forum said: “I have found that pure Ralph Neighbours ministry to teenagers is a little deficient so what I have done is used the commitment level ministry model to cater for my humanity level, come and grow level kids, and then these youth are fed into cells on Wednesday nights to ‘work out their salvation.’” (from lapidot@iafrica.com on Friday, April 11, 1997).
2. Benefits of Cells
One writer says that cells are used because that is where love, community, relationships, ministry, and evangelism spring up naturally and powerfully. This means the life of the church is not only in large groups in buildings, but equally in smaller groups in houses. The church is a dynamic, organic, spiritual being that can only be lived out in the lives of believers in community. Cell groups bring a number of benefits to a youth ministry: (1) Relationship Development - people can be known personally and intimately as genuine relationships are formed in small groups. (2) Evangelism - people come to know Christ through small group, even where the group is aimed at discipling Christians. (3) Care and Follow-up - the sharing of responsibility to care for young people means that more people are involved in the lives of young people. A youth leader is generally overwhelmed trying to care for the whole group - even where a care or follow-up strategy is implemented. (4) Peer Ministry - cell groups provide a context in which young people can ministry to their peers in the following areas: counselling, caring, evangelism and discipleship. (5) Leadership Development - cell groups provide a context in which new leaders can be identified, trained and mobilised as leaders. (6) Multiplication - when the groups are designed around birthing on a regular basis tend to create a momentum within the group to reach and grow new believers. Some group use an “empty chair” which reminds members of the group that one of their aims is to bring others into the group.
3. Leadership for Cells
Ralph Neighbour’s strategy involves the following leadership structure: each group has a Leader and an Intern and five groups are overseen by a Zone Servant. For each group of five lay Zone Servants, there is a paid Zone Pastor who supports and works with them. The shepherd concepts stresses the pastoral responsibility of the cell leader. They are not just Bible study leaders but responsible to nurture the flock under their care.
In Leading Life-Changing Small Groups, Bill Donahue give four guidelines for shepherding members of a cell group: (a) Pray for the meeting time and each member of the group; (b) exercise oversight of the members through concern for their welfare; (c) model Christlikeness to the group by serving them with acts of kindness; (d) create a safe place in which people will share their hurts, pains and concerns by admitting your weaknesses and encouraging members to share theirs.
The following groups of people are involved in a cell group:
A. Cell Pastor
Once a number of cell groups are running it may become necessary to appoint someone as the cell ministry pastor. This may be the youth leader, or it may be someone else with the necessary gifts. Their role is to build into the lives of the shepherds, providing encouragement and equipping so they stay effective, and providing material that they use within the cell groups.
B. Cell Shepherds
In Ralph Neighbour’s Shepherd’s Guidebook, the following qualities are required of good shepherds: they guide (Numbers 27:15-17; 1 Peter 5:1-4); they do not seek self-exaltation (Matthew 23:5-12); they nurture (John 21:15-17); they protect (Acts 20:28-32); they care for needs (Ezekiel 34:2-16); and they equip people for service (1 Peter 2:2-5,9,12; Eph 4:11-13). The cell shepherd is also responsible to ensure that records are kept within the cell of attendance and addresses of members or visitors.
C. Cell Interns
Within six to nine months it is highly probably that the cell group will have grown to fifteen to twenty members, and it will be necessary to divide into two cells. At that time the cell intern must be capable of shepherding half the group. The pattern is found in 2 Timothy 2:2. The intern should be involved in all that the shepherd does - so that they can learn on the job. It is generally the cell shepherd who identifies emerging interns. They should look for people with the correct spiritual, emotional and social qualifications. The intern has four responsibilities: (a) Love - they should love God, support the shepherd and love the members of the group. (b) Learn - they must learn from what the shepherd does, discuss cell ministry with the shepherd, and hear evaluation about their character and skills. (c) Lead - they will be given leadership responsibilities within the group such as praying or leading discussion, etc. (d) Look - throughout their apprenticeship they should look for an intern for the group that they will shepherd.
D. Cell Members
Ralph Neighbour speaks of different levels of spiritual maturity that are found within the cell groups: (a) Children - these are new believers or people with problems, (b) Young Men - these are people who know the word of God, and who overcome the evil one; and (c) Fathers - those who know God intimately.
E. Open Chair
This is a place reserved for someone who is still to be added to the group. Members of the group can mention people they would like to see join the group, the cell can pray for them by name and seek to be used by God to bring the new person into the group.
4. Stages of Cells
As cell groups form and develop they go through different stages. Ralph Neighbour says there are four stages of group life: (a) The Get-Acquainted Stage - this is the getting to know one another stage where the group starts the bonding process. (b) The Conflict Stage - as people really get to know each other their value systems may clash. One person may talk too much, another may be insensitive and another may be shy and uninvolved. As people work through this stage they will need to air differences and work through them. (c) The Community Stage - this is a meaningful period in which cell members relate to one another in a very special way. This is not only a very enriching stage but a dangerous stage as the group become very close and possibly unwilling to relate to outsiders. (d) The Ministering to Others Stage - leaders should stress, from the beginning, that the group exists to minister to people within the group and people outside the group. Cell members should now be encouraged to minister to people outside the group either individually or corporately.
Bill Donahue suggest the following stages: (a) Formation - people feel excited but awkward as they try to find out who is in the group and how they fit in. (b) Exploration - people feel comfortable and relaxed as they begin to explore how the group is doing. (c) Transition - people feel tense, anxious and wonder whether they are really open with each other and whether the group will accomplish its mission. (d) Action - people are now eager and vulnerable as they take ownership and rise to new challenges in the group. (e) Birthing - people experience grief at the loss they are about to experience and wonder whether they will survive. (f) Termination - people are reflective and thankful as they evaluate what they have experienced in the group.
5. Birthing of Cells
Many people within the cell church movement believe that the average life of the cell group before stagnation is about six months. So each cell group should be expected and encouraged to multiply six to nine months after starting. Leaders can prepare for the birthing process by sharing a vision for birthing from the beginning; preparing the intern for the birth; help the group realise that their purpose is to give life to other groups; help members catch a vision for people not in cell groups; meet in subgroups for part of the evening a few weeks before the group births; find a new intern for the new groups; encourage the intern to start finding an intern; meet as subgroups for the entire meeting time; and at the time of birth celebrate the beginning of the new groups.
At the first meeting after the birth it is helpful to do the following: have a time of celebration for the birth; hold a time of prayer to commission the new group; recognise and affirm the new leadership; allow members to express feelings of joy and sadness; plan a time a few weeks later when the groups can come together to celebrate; pray about the future of both groups; and schedule a few social events for the groups to get together from time to time.
6. Interaction in Cells
In order to facilitate cell group interaction the leader should use the following: (a) triad - small groups of three people who share together; (b) role playing - where members of the group are assigned different roles to respond to a story or a scripture passage; (c) feedback - where the shepherd asks specific individuals within the group to participate.
The physical environment will impact on the effectiveness of interaction in cell groups, ie: too much distance between cell members; people sitting in rows where cannot see each other; people sitting behind each other rather than in a circle; a telephone ringing or other distractions; some people sitting on the floor with others on chairs; and a large table decoration in the middle of the room.
7. Structure for Cells
Different structures for cell meetings have been developed: (1) Ralph Neighbour: (a) welcome - a time where the shepherd helps members to get to know each other; (b) worship - singing, prayer and scripture reading; (c) word - discovering and applying the truths of scripture; (d) works - sharing how members can minister to those outside the group. (2) Bill Donahue: (a) love - expressing love for God through praise and to one another through encouragement; (b) learn - about scripture, one another and oneself; (c) serve - showing the love of Christ to people in the community or the body; (d) reach - reaching out to others to lead them to Christ. During different types of cell meetings, different amounts of each of these elements will be present. (3) Trevor Thrones: (a) open - a time to break down walls and help youth feel comfortable with each other; (b) study - an interactive discussion time where everyone has a chance to share and apply what is being learnt; and (3) pray - all members have a chance to share their needs and pray. (4) Windsor Youth: (a) welcome - including an ice-breaker activity to encourage sharing; (b) worship - a time of singing and praying; (c) word - a group study on the topic for the evening; and (d) prayer - this is a time of sharing concerns and praying for one another and people or concerns outside the group.
8. Material for Cells
Cell groups are not long extended Bible study sessions. As has been mentioned in the structure the study part is one of the aspects that is focused on. Leaders should be careful not to over plan the amount of content they bring to the meeting. Some group do not use curriculum material in their cells as they take the topic from a Sunday sermon and discus it’s application in the cell meeting. A group may use a full curriculum programme such as Experiencing God. The GroupBuilder series by Jim Burns could be used. Group has a good curriculum programme available entitled: Get Real: Making Core Christian Beliefs Relevant to Teenagers. The purpose for which the cell groups are meeting would impact on the choice of material being studied.
9. Ministry in Cells
The shepherd and intern should ensure that members of the cell begin to open up to each other and share with one another from their own lives. They should also seek to help group members identify their spiritual gifts and provide a context in which they can use these gifts. Shepherds could use a spiritual gifts assessment tool to help members discover their gift. They should then create opportunities that will provide a context in which they can be used. There are a number of activities associated with the running of the group that can be shared among group members: leading discussions, running ice-breakers; leading worship; contacting members; keeping the group roster; hosting the group; writing notes and sending cards; visiting members who are sick; keeping a list of special events and birthdays; and providing evaluation.
10. Implementation of Cells
The following strategy is suggested for a youth group considering starting cell groups. (a) Share a vision for cell ministry; (b) Identify and train shepherds and interns; (c) Identify the time and place for groups to meet; (d) Choose curriculum material; (e) Launch a pilot project (this may be optional); (f) Start one or two groups; (g) Allow time for groups to group; and (h) Multiply groups through birthing; (i) Identify and nurture interns for the new groups.
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