Cell church picks up the description of church that we finding the book of Acts, where we see church in both big meetings – whether in the “Temple” or in other places – and also in the context of ‘house to house’ – which is the small gathering. Both are ‘church’.
We also see Jesus modeling the small group with His disciples. Both in the size of His group and in the way he taught them by example and experience; i.e. the disciples had the example of Jesus to follow and he gave them opportunity to experience what he was teaching them. With a whole world to save, Jesus spent most of his ministry in private with the 12 disciples. Jesus chose the most unlikely and ordinary people for his disciples. He was more concerned with availability than ability.
We believe that just as in the early church met in the temple and in homes, the big and the small, the church today should also meet in the big and the small.
1. Cell is Church
First we believe that cell is church. When we look at the New Testament Church we see that the small group is the building block of the New Testament church. And that Church is expressed in both the big and the small.
The Big – Sunday Celebrations
The Celebration is a mass gathering of every Cell member of the church, to demonstrate their life together in the worship of God. This gathering is used for praise and worship, solid Bible teaching, and evangelism. It is a vital part of the public witness of the people of God. There is no limit to its effective size. In fact, the slogan here is probably, “The more, the merrier!”
The Small – Cell Groups
The Cell is primarily for edification; i.e. building up one another to equip for works of service. While each Cell may begin its sessions with a time of praise and worship that is not its primary purpose. While it will use the Bible freely as a guide for its lifestyle, it is not a place for Bible Study. These needs are fulfilled at a different level in the life of the Church. Cell is the safe place where intimate friendships and accountability is cultivated; the key word here being kinship. It is the place where the cell members work out the Bible’s teaching in very practical ways, encouraging each other to fulfill the great commission (Mat 28:18-20) to “go and make disciples”. Cell is life and an expression of community not simply another meeting.
2. Cell is every member in ministry
Second we believe that cell is about every member in ministry. As we look in the New Testament we also see that in the church no one person had all the gifts. On the contrary the New Testament teaches that Church is like a body with the members dependant on each other and every member having a place and a role. We believe that cell is where this can happen. We believe that Cell is a community in which the individual can grow by example and experience, both ministering and being ministered to. Cell is, as we have said, about edification; i.e. building up one another to equip for works of service. This means that every member of the cell is actively involved; taking responsibility to have a network of un-churched friends they are reaching out to and seeking to evangelize. Cell is about every member having a sense of mutual accountability to love God, love the lost and love one another
Cell is a community where every member is empowered and encouraged to have a sense of destiny and purpose in what they do every day of the week.