CELL CHURCHES & CONVENTIONAL MEETINGS
By Jon Reid
Do cell groups replace Sunday morning service?
No; everyone meeting together to worship and receive teaching is an important element of a cell church. The emphasis of the church is no longer on Sunday mornings, though, but on every day of the week.
Do cell groups replace Sunday evening service?
Yes; Sunday evenings are used for different purposes by different churches, but in general, they seem to be used to provide a more “loose” time to gather. Cell groups provide this relaxed atmosphere and intimacy. Also, one problem of traditional churches is that there seems to be a meeting almost every night of the week for the really committed members — Sunday evening, choir practice, prayer meeting, Bible study, visitation, etc., etc. The result is that believers spend so much time in church activities, they
have no time to spend with unbelievers. Instead of focusing on meetings, programs, and activities, cell churches focus on relationships — both with Christians and with the lost.
Are cell groups something to have on other nights of the week?
Yes, but again, we are trying to get away from meeting-centeredness. In my church, we are trying to develop close fellowship between group members so that cell life takes place everyday, not just on meeting nights. In a culture which values rugged individualism, we are trying to discover what real koinonia is.
Are cell groups something for just personal Bible study or fellowship?
No. The cell group is the basic building block of a cell church, and is the primary vehicle for accomplishing the church’s task. Fellowship, intercession, discipleship, evangelism, supernatural ministry… all these things are done by the cell groups. For too long, Christians have made the mistake of believing that if they belong to a church which is doing these things, then they are fulfilling their role in the Kingdom. But each cell group is the church in the sense that these things become our responsibility.
We each have a call on our lives, and joining together, we fellowship, we intercede, we disciple and are discipled, we reach out to the lost, and we minister the power of God
