By Steve Cordle |
Just like a body of water, a healthy cell group requires movement, or else it will stagnate.
In a healthy cell, there needs to be movement in three directions:
- Movement into the group: new people becoming part of the group (evangelism)
- Movement within the group: members of the group moving toward ministry and leadership (discipleship and equipping)
- Movement out of the group: some members leave with a new leader to start a new group. (multiplication)
The healthiest groups will experiences flow in all of these areas. A lack of movement in any one of these will stunt the spiritual and numerical growth of the ministry.
The second area of discipleship and equipping makes the other two possible. In a healthy group, each of the members will be taking steps toward spiritual maturity and toward group leadership.
Joel Comiskey’s research has shown that group leadership is not a gift-based ministry, but rather a maturity-based ministry. That means anyone can grow to the point they can help someone else grow. Our job as ministry leaders is to create the systems and environment for that to happen.
Do you have a set of steps that guide members in their faith development? Do you have a step-by-step process for becoming a group leader? Does everyone in your group know what that is?
___
www.crossroadsumc.org
