"From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work." Ephesians 4:16
In the Cell Church it is our great desire to actually see every church member growing in the Lord. This value is coupled with another, that every member should be engaged in ministry (i.e. serving others). To really see these values fulfilled in practice requires more than simply taking people through the Equipping Track. The cell group itself provides the ideal environment to encourage and enable growth and ministry.
Means by which a Cell Leader can help his/her cell members grow include:
Recommended further reading: The Shepherd's Guidebook, chapter 11; Mentoring Another Christian, and How People Grow. (See Appendix E8.x1 for details).
Ralph Neighbour gives us two helpful approaches for measuring spiritual growth. The first is this: "How do we measure maturity [in a person]? By knowing where they were, by seeing where they are, and by discerning where they must develop." (The Shepherd's Guidebook, p.52). The Personal Growth Review is a key tool to help assess a person's current position and to point the way forward.
The second means of measuring growth is by observing how much a person is able to take responsibility for their spiritual life:
"The extent of a person's spiritual maturity is the extent of the commitment he or she has to Kingdom activity. This way of measuring maturity is most important. Your assignment [as a Cell Leader] can be reduced to one simple statement: Encourage your flock members to be totally responsible for properly exercising their spiritual gifts." (The Shepherd's Guidebook, p.53).
The Equipping Track aims to provide each cell member with a solid basic foundation in Christian living and belief. It is the Christian's ‘basic training', much like that of a soldier; it should be completed before more specialist roles can be taken on. The goal of seeing every member as a potential Cell Leader (and every Cell Leader as a potential Coach) may be more easily realised when it is considered that two people could become joint leaders of a particular group.
The Cell Leader's role in using the Equipping Track to develop his/her cell members is to:
A Mentor is simply a cell member who is further ahead on their Christian journey than the student. It is generally best to pair men with men and women with women. Always arrange mentor-student partnerships by mutual agreement; discuss your plan with both parties first!
The Personal Growth Review (E8.x3) is a tool to help cell members measure personal growth and set goals in order to make purposeful progress. It should be completed by each cell member about once a year as a means of promoting and encouraging personal growth. The Cell Leader's role is firstly to make it happen, i.e. to encourage each member to complete the Review. Secondly, the Cell Leader should make a personal visit to each member to discuss the outcome of their Review, offering support and encouragement as needed.
As the ‘Basic Christian Community' the cell group is the ideal place for Christians to discover, use and develop the gifts God has given them. We each grow and develop in the ministries God gives us as we serve one another in love. The task of the Cell Leader is to give people opportunities to serve and minister to their fellow cell members.
"People cannot be developed by others; they must develop themselves. All others can do is provide the environment for this to take place. That is why it is important for the Shepherd to quickly provide specific tasks and ministries for all who are entering the cell group. Remember – becoming mature means becoming responsible. A person who is being useful is feeling worthwhile. Those who are simply expected to ‘be present' will soon fade away." (Where Do We Go From Here? pages 259-260).
"Do you know what your biggest handicap will be as you begin your ministry as a Shepherd? Over control and over protectiveness of the flock. You can hold back the work of the Holy Spirit by not creating opportunities for them to discover and use their spiritual gifts." (The Shepherd's Guidebook, p.53).
(Based on the Cell Leader Intern Guidebook, pages 100-101.)
There are three steps to helping members become involved in ministry:
(Based on the Cell Leader Intern Guidebook, pages 105-107)
‘Delegating' means passing on a task for which you are responsible to another person. As the delegator you remain responsible for the task, but responsibility changes to enabling the other person to complete the task, while you monitor their progress.
Well managed delegation will both develop the person receiving the responsibility, and free time for the delegator to focus on other tasks. It may also reveal gifts in that person – they might even prove better at the task than the leaders themselves! Warning: Poorly managed delegation is likely to be a disaster, both for the person receiving responsibility and for the completion of the task. Therefore, it is absolutely essential for the delegator to remain involved with the person receiving the delegation, and to retain final responsibility for the task.
Delegate whatever you can. Do only what cannot be delegated. Do not do something that someone else can do. There are plenty of jobs that others cannot or will not do.
As leader you should:
Speaking of his own cell group experiences, Ralph Neighbour says this: "We were learning to receive grace through others as we learned to be channels of grace. This is the power of the church as cells. The healers are those who are also healed. When we begin a life together in which all are equipped for ministry, the most effective growth always takes place in an environment where we are called upon to give as well as to receive, to heal as well as be healed." (Where do we go from here? page 172).
A small group is a powerful place for personal growth to occur. If members are allowed to share who they really are, with all their struggles and failings, without fear of being judged or condemned, then significant personal growth is possible.
(See 1 John 1:7 and Luke 6:37-38).
Christians are called to be holy (1 Peter 1:16). As our characters are transformed, little by little, to be like God (see 2 Corinthians 3:18 and Galatians 5:22-23), we are actually being set free from sin and are being made whole! This is true spiritual growth.
Seek to make your cell group a place where honest sharing is encouraged, where it is safe to share; where confidences are kept, people are accepted despite their sins (Romans 15:7), and the truth is spoken in love (Ephesians 4:15).
According to Christian psychologists, Henry Cloud and John Townsend, "All growth is spiritual growth". They say this: "…we wanted to bring the idea of working on relational and emotional issues back into the mainstream of spiritual growth. Spiritual growth should affect relationship problems, emotional problems, and all other problems of life. There is no such thing as our ‘spiritual life' and then our ‘real life'. It is all one." (How People Grow, page 21).
Elsewhere, Cloud and Townsend list the ‘qualities of safe churches', including these:
(Safe people, page 164).
Regarding creating this genuine sharing, Ralph Neighbour says this:
"Do you know what your best quality will be as a Shepherd? Consistency. Loving all, not some of the group; caring as much about the life of the community this week as you did last week; transparently confessing your own shortfalls while revealing your growing faith – these are the characteristics of consistency." (The Shepherd's Guidebook, page 93).
Regarding the growth process, Cloud and Townsend say this:
"Many of us get into the growth process hoping to get some quick answers and comfort and then resume ‘normal life'. However, this is not God's way. For him, normal life is being in the growth process for life. Issues and struggles may and should change over time, but growth is not a season. Rather, it is at the heart of life itself." (How People Grow, page 352).
Finally, the Apostle Paul says this:
"Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me." Philippians 3:12
E8.12 Helping Members Grow - Version 3 – Apr 11