logo

The Great Commission
The cell church revolution
by Frank Decker

Making disciples of Jesus Christ—That’s what the Great Commission is all about: Go, make disciples, baptize them, teach them. As disciples are made and churches are planted in different cultures, should those churches be reproduced to look like the ones that the missionary left behind back home? Or, is there a better way?

There is a quiet revolution that is taking place in the world of missions called the cell church movement. It is so radical and refreshing that it’s even being called “the second reformation.” People involved in missions in many Christian traditions are discovering that the cell church model is being richly blessed by God as a catalyst for the expansion of the Kingdom.

How is the cell model different? Rev. David and Beth Greenawalt are Mission Society missionaries who serve in Hungary. David, a United Methodist minister from Virginia, explains that he and Beth had to relearn some very basic ministry concepts in order to approach ministry in Hungary using a cell church model. He explains: “There is a word picture in William Beckham’s book The Second Reformation which has helped shape my understanding of the need for small group meetings in the life of the church. He describes the New Testament church as having two wings: one for the large group celebration, and one for the small group community. With two wings the church could soar into experiencing God’s presence and do his will on the earth. Eventually, however, the church abandoned the small group model and became a one winged church. As a result, if it ever flew at all, it was in circles.” David goes on to explain that when he and Beth studied and participated in cell church ministry in preparation for their current term in Hungary, one of the premier examples taught as a model for cell ministry was that of John Wesley.

Indeed, the cell church model is largely a forgotten aspect of historical Methodism. George Whitefield stated in 1763 that John Wesley’s methodology of discipleship through small groups created enduring fruit in the form of disciples. In contrast, Whitefield likened the fruit of his own method of proclamation to large crowds without following them up through small group ministry as a mere “rope of sand.”

A cell church is one in which the cell groups are valued as the center of ministry. This is in contrast to a traditional church that may also have various small groups added to everything else the church does. The Church of the Living Vine in Karaganda, Kazakhstan is a cell church that was started by Mission Society missionaries in the early 1990s. The three requirements for membership are faith in Jesus, baptism, and active membership in a cell. A member is not allowed to vote in a church meeting if he or she has been inactive from cell participation for a period of three months or more. Rev. Joel Duggins, who has served in Karaganda for nine years with his wife Marylee, observes that major church attendance trends in the main Sunday service have a direct correlation to the vitality of the cell groups. “When attendance is strong, it’s because the cell leaders have been providing strong leadership,” Duggins observes. “Cell groups are not easy, but they produce the best opportunity for Christian growth.”

Jim Ramsay, who serves in Kazakhstan with his wife Shawn and is the Mission Society’s field leader, observes, “I think that every culture has some means by which small groups of people gather—it is a natural part of humanity to have close associations with a limited number of people. For this reason, the cell model of church provides a natural way to build a community of faith within the cultural context of the church plant. It does not depend upon buildings, equipment, or paid professionals to implement. The methodologies for what occurs in the cells can and should be adapted to fit the context, but the basic concept of a small community of faith can be applied in any cultural setting.”

Adam Hoyt agrees. Adam is the Mission Society’s Manager of Training, and also a cell leader in his local church in Atlanta. Hoyt adds, “If you are trying to minister in a culturally-appropriate manner, then what better context than in the home of a national?” This can counteract the tendency for missionaries to merely reproduce, by default, churches that look like the ones back home.

Ramsay continues, “The cell group also becomes a tool for effective evangelism. I am often amazed at how first time visitors jump right in and engage in the conversation. Often their understanding of the faith is obviously very limited, but that doesn’t hold them back from participation. Simply gathering once weekly in a large setting would not provide that opportunity.”

The cell movement is growing around the world, and this is cause for great rejoicing. But it also raises a question: If this is a better way to make disciples in mission settings, then do those of us who are in more traditional church settings need to relearn, like the Greenawalts, how to do ministry? Our response may determine whether our fruit will resemble that of Whitefield or of Wesley.



Click here to send your response plus the title of this article to us at Good News.

Good News | 308 East Main St. | P.O. Box 150 | Wilmore, KY 40390 | 859-858-4661 | 1-800-487-7784
info@goodnewsmag.org | About Us | ©2007 Good News magazine