Cell church
Encyclopedia
A cell church is a Christian church
structure centering on the regular gathering of cell group
s. Small group ministries are often called cell groups, but may also be called home groups, home friendship groups, home care groups, house fellowships, or life groups.
A church with cell groups is not necessarily a cell church. A cell church must be composed of cell groups and centered around them. In cell churches, a cell leader (if any) is considered to be effectively a pastor
or mentor within the church.
John Wesley
used a form of cell group
structure which he called Class Meetings as he formed his Methodist societies into a national movement, first in Great Britain
and later in the United States
in the 18th Century.
Christian Church
The Christian Church is the assembly or association of followers of Jesus Christ. The Greek term ἐκκλησία that in its appearances in the New Testament is usually translated as "church" basically means "assembly"...
structure centering on the regular gathering of cell group
Cell group
The cell group is a form of church organization that is used in some Christian churches. Cell groups are generally intended to teach the Bible and personalize Christian fellowship. They are always used in cell churches, but also occur in parachurch organizations and other interdenominational...
s. Small group ministries are often called cell groups, but may also be called home groups, home friendship groups, home care groups, house fellowships, or life groups.
A church with cell groups is not necessarily a cell church. A cell church must be composed of cell groups and centered around them. In cell churches, a cell leader (if any) is considered to be effectively a pastor
Pastor
The word pastor usually refers to an ordained leader of a Christian congregation. When used as an ecclesiastical styling or title, this role may be abbreviated to "Pr." or often "Ps"....
or mentor within the church.
John Wesley
John Wesley
John Wesley was a Church of England cleric and Christian theologian. Wesley is largely credited, along with his brother Charles Wesley, as founding the Methodist movement which began when he took to open-air preaching in a similar manner to George Whitefield...
used a form of cell group
Cell group
The cell group is a form of church organization that is used in some Christian churches. Cell groups are generally intended to teach the Bible and personalize Christian fellowship. They are always used in cell churches, but also occur in parachurch organizations and other interdenominational...
structure which he called Class Meetings as he formed his Methodist societies into a national movement, first in Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
and later in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in the 18th Century.
Cell structure
There are a number of structures used to organize and coordinate multiple cells within a church.- The G12 VisionG12 VisionThe G12 Vision is a strategy for Christian evangelism to fulfill the Great Commission. It is founded upon the idea that every Christian can mentor and lead twelve people in the Christian faith, following the example of Jesus...
consists of a leadership cell consisting of 12 people who each facilitate and lead their own cell group. - The Free Market Cell Model (affinity based small groups) allows the topic or vehicle of the cell to vary (E.g., a Basketball group, Bible study, or Prayer Group), yet retains an intensional discipleship strategy. This approach is often employed to help cells take on the gifts and passions of congregation while retaining a typical cell hierarchy. (E.g., See Substance ChurchSubstance ChurchSubstance Church is a nondenominational, Evangelical Christian, megachurch in Minneapolis – Saint Paul, Minnesota. In 2010, Outreach Magazine ranked the church as the 21st fastest growing congregation in the United States...
, Celebration ChurchCelebration ChurchCelebration Church is a global, diverse, multi-site megachurch that reaches people from all walks of life. Founded by , now the lead pastor of the Jacksonville campus, Celebration began in 1998 and now has nearly 12,000 in attendance weekly...
, Seacoast ChurchSeacoast ChurchSeacoast is a large American interdenominational church located in the suburb of Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, near Charleston, South Carolina, USA. It was founded in February, 1988 by Greg Surratt and a team from another large church in the area, Northwood Assembly in North Charleston. Surratt...
). - A Tree Network consists of multiple cell group leaders that report directly to a cell coordinator. Each cell coordinator manages multiple cells in this way, and several cell coordinators may be present in a single cell church. Additional levels of hierarchy may be added as well depending on the size of the cell church. While similar to a G-12 Structure, it is unrelated.