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Resurrecting the Classes An Introduction to Cell for Methodists

Church with Churches come in all shapes and sizes, HG home groups HG not just the buildings they meet in but the groups of people too. CHURCH n different parts of the world during has forgotten she has this gift. It is time the last half of the twentieth century to resurrect the classes. new movements of HG HG I Church with based on small groups have emerged. One of the keys to is its integrated cells God has been doing a similar thing structure of classes. from the Roman Catholic Base Ecclesial Y WO KL RS Communities of South America to “The weekly class meeting has from the E H E CELL CELL I the Korean mega-churches built on P beginning proved to be the most effective W CELL CELL cell structures. This paper is a brief means of maintaining among Methodists CELL CELL introduction to some aspects of these true fellowship in Christian experience... movements with a particular emphasis All members ... shall have their names CELL CELL on what is known as Cell Church. entered on a class book.” Deed of Union 3.9

Bishop John A.T. Robinson wrote in Sadly few Methodist Churches today 1960 that “the theological recovery of this operate a dynamic system of classes. The diagrams above show: a) a church idea of the church in the house is one of the in which small groups are an optional most important tasks of our generation.” What is Cell Church? extra - appendages to the church. b) a church in which small groups are Christian Schwarz, author of Natural Ian Freestone, a Church Army officer integral to the church. In many churches Church Development has surveyed over from Australia who has planted churches with small groups these are an optional 1000 churches across every continent. He based on cells devised the diagram at the extra. In a cell church the congregation identifies eight ‘quality factors’ common bottom of this page. It shows a range of is a gathering of the cells. The church to growing churches. Of these the factor different ways in which small groups can structure is like a honeycomb. The cells with the highest correlation between relate to congregations, our normal way are linked, support each other and form quality and growth was ‘intentionally of being ‘church’. the basic building blocks of the church. multiplying small groups’. Cell Church is in the middle of this In an age of changing culture small spectrum. In a cell church there is a groups are increasingly relevant. For balance between small groups and larger encouraging discipleship they are almost congregations. Each is recognised as indispensable. The class meeting or cell being truly ‘church’. Neither is more community is a gift Methodism holds in important than the other. A cell church is treasure for the whole Church - yet she like a bird with two wings - and can fly!

Models of church relating to celebration and small groups

Congregation Congregation Congregation Affiliated house Independent Cell church with Cell church with based church based church with based church with churches with with high celebration lesser celebration with no small home groups of high emphasis on occasional no affiliation or emphasis emphasis groups studies small groups celebrations celebration Cell Church A Value-Driven Church is effective in: Cell church may look like a system - a way of devolving pastoral organising church - but it is value-based not system- care based. The structures serve the values. This is true of

encouraging all church structures but often the values are not christian discipleship stated and sometimes they are not Christian! In a cell and maturity church what is done is checked against the values.

developing the gifts of the Cell Church Values

supporting emerging at the centre... Living cells multiply leaders This may seem obvious - how can you This is a biological fact. It is true for have a church which does not follow small Christian communities as well. encouraging Jesus? Cell church states this explicitly Without the aim of multiplication - the sharing & service and checks all church life against it. growth of the cell and the formation of two or more after a period of time cells Church is a community are doomed, like natural cells, to die. 6 Cell Values of openness, honesty and Living, growing vibrant cells all aim to sacrificial love multiply. Jesus at the centre Cell Church is not something we go to in a particular place at a particular time. A different sort of Leadership is Church is a Cell Church is about the development of required for cells from that normally community of small Christian communities who share expected of church home groups. Cell openness, honesty and their lives, their walk with God, and their leaders are facilitators. Their skills must sacrificial love witness for Jesus together. His way was be in the discernment and development the way of sacrificial love and it must be of the gifts of cell members. They are not Every member growing ours too. there to do everything for the cell but to enable the cell to do for itself. Cell leaders Every member in Every member growing must also be prepared and able to train ministry We are disciples - seeking to learn and up an apprentice leader. grow in . There is an expectation Every member that members of cells are seeking A cell is not a meeting, though cells witnessing well spiritual growth and Christian maturity. do meet. A cell is a small Christian community. The focus of cells in Cell Living Cells multiply Every member in ministry Church is a weekly cell meeting but the The ministry of the whole people of God cell is not a meeting: it is a community. is clearly expressed in Cell Church. It is in the cells that people learn to express Outreach through cells is the norm in a “No Circuit ever did, nor ever and share their experience of God. It is Cell Church. Cells are not meetings for will, flourish unless there are in the cells that they develop their own Bible Study or prayer - though they do particular gifts. these and more. They are communities bands in the large societies” and all communities have a fringe. Cell , April 1788 Every member witnessing communities have a fringe of people who well are not Christians who will be drawn to Witness is not an optional extra. All Christ as the cells express his life in their Christians are witnesses to Jesus: what life. Cells will hold social events to which sort of witness we are is our choice. We people on their fringe can be invited. The can be true witnesses or poor witnesses, intention is to include people in cell life but we will always be witnesses. Cells so that they can explore their spiritual help us to be true witnesses. journey and find Christ.

2 Three Levels of Church Time

Churches need different sizes of groups for different Pressure! functions. John Wesley discovered that small groups ime is a problem is most churches. are essential for “growth in Christian experience”. T Churches seeking to transition He also taught his followers to attend their local to Cell will need to appraise all their parish church. He did not see the Classes as a activities and may need to stop doing substitute for congregational worship. some of them. One cell church sought to avoid overloading their members by church based on cells can harness Cell/Class giving the following guidance: A the dynamic of the small group 6 - 14 people to enhance its congregational worship. Main function - personal intimacy One of the keys to the success of cells Under God: is the equipping of leaders so that they Congregation can equip others in their cell. Most 25 - 175 people Family comes first congregationally based churches rely on Main function - a professional minister for this equipping social fellowship Cell comes second task. In cell churches the minister is there Celebration/ to equip the cell leaders. Circuit Relationships with 175 + people: the non - Christians comes Jesus spent most of his ministry with the more the merrier! third 12. Among the 12 he spent more time Main function with Peter, James and John. Jesus’ pattern - worship Maintaining Church of ministry may have looked like the structures comes diagram below. Most paid professional Churches that want to explore Cell fourth in Britain are expected to pastor should be aware of the need to examine (Nettleham Methodist Church, Lincoln) more than 150 people. Cell spreads this their expectations of their minister load. In the cells people pastor each other. and their expectations of themselves. Cell is really good at maximising the Ministers need to model Cell values The first seventy years of the participation of church members. Cell in their churches and their lives. Methodist movement were marked will not work without a church strategy The minister should be in a cell but by remarkable growth. But by for searching out, encouraging and preferably not leading it, modeling the supporting the developing of the gifts of servant ministry and showing the need 1815 or so the Class Meeting was the people of God. for all Christians to accept ministry. being replaced by prayer meetings. By 1850 Methodism had begun to decline as a proportion of the Programme System English population. It has never Programmes Ministries regained its initial vigour – nor its Class Meetings. Jesus Worship

20% of the 20% 20% of the “Cell is a really good place for best leaders leaders equip seeing my own gifts developing … maintain the the other 80% to programme and other people’s. Gifts and talents Peter, James & John do the work of the system for 80% ministry in are emerging. It’s amazing! That the of the and through Community is not just a meeting members cell life 20% is really important – it develops Celebration genuine relationships. The smaller group is better than the larger Cells Cells Cells previous group.” The other nine Cell System Cell member, Nettleham

3 The Shape of a Cell Meeting

While a Cell is not a meeting, Cells do meet. The Cell meeting is a focus for the community. Cell meetings vary in shape and frequency but the most common shape for cell meetings uses four sections - known as the four W’s.

Welcome the people who lead this section must The four W’s can come in any order An ‘icebreaker’ helps to develop have a heart for . The to suit the material but usually comes friendships, sets the tone of the meeting, Witness section can also review the life in the order given on the left. The includes everyone in and encourages application of previous meetings. Welcome is simple to lead and can be participation. The welcome puts people given to someone who does not have the new to the group on an equal footing Not all cell community meetings confidence to do one of the other three. with established people. People new follow the four W’s format. Cells Over time they will gain confidence and to the concepts of cell often say “We are encouraged to meet socially and try another of the sections. don’t need to do the welcome - we know informally to provide ‘ways in’ for each other.” After a few weeks of using those who are not part of the cell or a welcome most people realise that they who are not Christian. Cell members did not really know each other as well as may share birthday parties, trips to they thought. the seaside, the special interests of a member, country walks, a sport, all Worship manner of things - because the cell is a Worship in cells does not mean singing! community not a meeting. Some cells express worship in song - but few do all the time. Cell worship is flexible, imaginative and different. It allows all to participate and contribute. Cell size It may range from silence to listening Cells should start small (five to eight) to to music to drawing something or allow growth and should not normally modelling something in clay. There is grow bigger than 14. One cell of 14 can no set pattern of worship in cell. Cells are multiply into two cells of seven. more than just Word meetings. They Multiply not divide are Christian The word is a life-application study in Cell Church talks of multiplying cells communities. which the cell are encouraged to ask not splitting or dividing them. One “How does this apply to my life?” The objectives of cell is multiplication, this is Word is central to cell life and is about success. The multiplication of cells can study of the living word revealed in be painful but so is any birth. Neither the written word in scripture. This is can we separate our faith from pain or not the same as some traditional Bible we lose the cross and our faith becomes studies and care needs to be taken to meaningless. Personal growth can come ensure that the life application of the through the ‘pain’ of multiplication. Word study is central. Other Cell good practice: The cell does not just meet at one home. Witness It meets in all the homes possible. This This section of the cell meeting almost spreads the load of hosting the cell and A cell always comes last. It is the focus of encourages the gift of hospitality. church is made the relational evangelism and social up of these communities. Each outreach of the cells. The witness How & why run a 4 W’s evening. community or cell section encourages the cell and its The material is distributed in advance. is an expression members to put what they have learned Four different people lead the cell. It is of church. in the Word section into action in their the Cell leader’s job to see that the four lives. If the cell hopes to be evangelistic W’s are done, not to do them themselves.

4 The DNA of Cell

LAURENCE SINGLEHURST looks at the three vital strands

is the building block one another, to love the . a proper way. We as Christians are to be DNA of life. It shapes the John Stott, on being asked what God challenged to take Jesus into every place outcomes; it affects all the cells of the the Father is like, points people to the that we go. By living out His values, by human body; it is the core building scriptural revelation of who Jesus is, and having a high value for people; by being block. Just as DNA affects us as human says that Jesus portrays for us who the honest, we reshape the foundations. beings, I believe it is true that when we Father is. But on being asked how do we look at cells in the life of the Church, it is know what Jesus is like, he said that we This gives us our three strands of DNA. vitally important that they have the right can see what Jesus is like by the sacrificial It is this outward focus that is so often DNA. If the DNA is wrong, then the love that Christians have for one another. the challenge for us because it is so outcome will not be the one we desire. In other words, the care and concern that sacrificial. Just as cells in the human we have for one another is the core of our body can go wrong, so there is a drift I believe there are three strands of authenticity. Jesus said that by the love in these small groups or cells, which are biblical DNA for the life of the cell. you have for one another, they will know foundational to church life. They can so They are connected to the Great that you are my disciples. As we all know, easily become fellowship groups or just Commandment and the Great in a post-modern world, our words have an intellectual exercise, and therefore, just Commission, “you shall love the Lord less impact, and our actions more. The as the body has means to look after itself, your God with all your heart, and world wants to see a demonstration of in the cell church we encourage churches with all your strength.” The second is real community. to have supervisors who visit a cell once this, “You shall love your neighbour as a month, or once every other month and yourself.” (Mark 12 : 30-31). But if we have two strands of DNA, evaluate whether the DNA is really there. great as they are, this gives us a And, “Go therefore and make disciples of fellowship group. Or perhaps a house Is this a three-strand cell? Of course it all nations, baptizing them in the name group. There is nothing wrong with this, would be equally flawed if it were just of the Father and of the Son and of the it is good as far as it goes, but God wants outward looking and nothing else, just as , and teaching them to obey more. it would be if it were just word-focussed everything that I have commanded you. and nothing else. So the supervisor And remember, I am with you always, to The third strand of DNA is that we are to works with the cell leaders for these three the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:19-20). love the world. Scripture indicates for us strands of DNA. to love the world in two ways. We are to From this we can extract three strands love people; Jesus demonstrates this in Finally, just as the DNA is vital, it must of DNA. The first strand is that we are to the story of the Good Samaritan, that be remembered that the cells in your know that God loves us, and that we are to we are all called to be channels of God’s body communicate to one another, and love him. This is obviously a foundational love to people and we express that love part of the secret of a cell is that it is and fundamental dynamic that our small through our words and our actions. Jesus about communication. It is not about groups and our cells work on all the time. challenges us to go and build bridges of the voice of the leader or the one or two love and community, and through these wonderful extroverts – the secret of a There is much that we experience in life to speak the words. Unless we go, then cell, and its anointing, is the participation that will tell us that God does not love no one will hear. of its members. us and care for us and we are, of course, often challenged in terms of real love But we are to do more than this. It is That is why we have the Welcome for him. Our group supports us in this not just about loving people. Jesus also section, because we believe God wants to fundamental dynamic. describes for us (Matthew 5: 13-16) that work through everyone, from the most we are to be salt and light in the society; mature Christian to the newest member But if we have just this one strand of that we are to be transformational, and of the group. If this kind of DNA DNA, then we have a Bible study. A Christian values and principles should infuses our cells, we will be a church that dynamic Bible study; possibly even a become the bedrock for our society. They loves God, that loves one another, and great Bible study, but God wants more. show us how to live, how to do business, that reaches out to our world. The second strand is that we are to love to respect authority, to raise children in

5 My Piece in the Jigsaw? Understanding the evangelism process

ost people who become They say yes to God and invite Jesus Christians who can give a M Christians do so as a result of to be their Lord. challenge well (and churches which a process that lasts two or three years. build them into their programmes Before that process, they will usually They are rarely aware of their own regularly). describe Christians (and Church) as old- sinfulness, but more often respond fashioned, boring, narrow-minded and because faith in Jesus seems to offer a Christians who have faith for hypocritical. If they are to change their better way of living. conversion. view of what Christians are like enough to want to become one, there are a During this process, Christians help in a Christians who can get alongside new number of things that normally happen: variety of ways: believers and help them to grow.

They see Christians performing Christians who are good at loving No Christian is equally good at all of selfless acts of love and are impressed. people and demonstrating the love of these things; we all have our strengths; Jesus. and our weaknesses. However, in a cell They discover that some of their (and even more so in a bigger group) all friends, workmates or family are Christians who are committed these gifts will be present in one or other Christians and are actually normal. to spending time with their non- of the members. If we are confident of Christian friends doing ordinary what we can do to help people to become They hear stories of the way that God things (and aren’t in church every Christians and know who can do what the Holy Spirit changes lives. waking hour!). we cannot, we can work together more effectively to help people to become They see God at work. Christians who are good at talking Christians. about Jesus in unchurchy language. They become more friendly with the There is one thing that we can all do, Christians they know. Christians who are sensitive to the and that is to pray consistently and way that the Holy Spirit touches lives persistently that those whom we love They get to know a little of what it (especially in healing prayer). might come to know the greatest love means to be a Christian. of all that is found only in Jesus Christ. Christians who are good at talking Everything we do should be undergirded They get to know other Christians simply about what they believe. in prayer! (either in Church or some other setting). Christians who invite them to Graham Horsley appropriate church events (cell or They are challenged (usually three- congregational) four times) to invite Jesus to be the Lord of their lives.

They begin to find out more about the Bible.

They pray more regularly and feel they know that it is Jesus to whom they pray (most non-Christians already pray!).

They experience for themselves the life-changing power of God (often several times).

6 Our Cell Journey: A Rocky Road

ack in 1999, Bradeley Road Unlike the textbooks, establishing In the last couple of years a further three BMethodist Church was a small cells was messy and tough; even with cells have closed all having struggled to church (membership of approx. eighty) enthusiastic and committed people. We ‘get to grips’ with the issue of evangelism located in Haslington (population quickly learned that the cell leader role is and cell multiplication. During the same approximately 6,000), a reasonably pivotal. Leading cell is different to leading period, the youth cell restarted, this affluent area of South Cheshire situated house groups, understanding and helping time triggered by a youth in our worship between Crewe and Sandbach. each other to live the Cell values is key. group inviting his friends to church.

Realising we couldn’t do everything and In 2002, Bradeley Road and St Andrew’s Our cell journey has taught us that there inspired by the approaching millennium, Methodist Churches united to form is no quick fix answer to the challenge we as a church earnestly ‘set about’ Haslington Methodist Church. In of Christian ministry in the twenty-first discovering God’s specific purpose. A September, the church launched its first century. Our experience of cells has been year later we heard Graham Horsley give youth cell and followed by a fourth adult far more ‘messy’ than the ‘neat and tidy’ ‘An Introduction to Cell’. Graham’s talk . picture we had anticipated based on the resonated with our ‘Journey of Purpose’. early cell resources. Although the transition to cell seemed In June 2000, the Church Council to be gaining momentum it wasn’t until Despite the fact that, at times, we have adopted the outcome of ‘God’s Purpose 2004 that the first cell multiplied as a encountered the temptation to ‘give for Bradeley Road Methodist Church’ result of an Alpha course. Over the next up’ on Cell, we remain convinced that and we launched a prototype cell. This six months existing and potential leaders it is an essential element of Christian consisted of one cell made up of potential participated in CellUK’s ‘Equipping discipleship in the twenty-first century cell group leaders. Encouraged by this Future Cell Leaders’ course. Paradoxically, UK. experience three ‘proper’ cells were in the same period the youth cell was ‘put launched. on hold’ due to a decline in numbers. David Kerr, Haslington Cell Supervisor

“Why do cell groups work well with young people?”

hat was the question that started discussions allowed them to build some groups and were showing the potential to Tmy whole journey into developing strong bonds and for them to be real take on roles within the groups. youth cell groups. I am now setting up with one another. youth cell groups from scratch for the I am now in a new post in Penrith away second time. The first time round, I had These groups continued to grow over from the busy bustle of Manchester, but been working for an Anglican church in several years and not only developed again we as a youth team are developing Sale, Greater Manchester. This group of as midweek discipleship groups, but cell groups. Currently, we have four youth young people met on Sunday mornings reshaped the format of the Sunday cell groups working with 11-17 year and for a weekly youth club. There was morning groups as well. These groups olds and we’re trying out a new group a strong bond between the young people engaged with social action projects and with 10-11 year olds. These groups are and quite a sizeable group, even on a many of them were led by older young enabling deeper conversation and are Sunday morning. people trained to work with their peers. building links between our youth club Of course, the groups had their ups and and the Sunday discipleship groups. After some consideration and with some downs. Some groups were really working, concerns from some of the volunteers some stood still and some just didn’t At Penrith Methodist Church, we’re about this new model of discipleship, we work. While I was there, the youth cell quite early on in our journey. We’re set up a prototype small group with some groups also used Youth Alpha as a way to looking at developing groups that meet of the lads. “Why the lads?” you may form new groups. The youth cells met in around particular activities such as rock ask. I was a male youth worker and the homes and in the main church building. climbing and we look forward to what is easiest option was to try these groups out to come. with the older lads in the youth group. One of the highlights of my time was This group worked so well that the girls taking a group of young leaders away Carl Dodd, Penrith Methodist Youth and were demanding their own small group! for their training weekend. These young Children For the lads involved in the group, the people had come through their own

7 Further Resources

INTRODUCTORY IN MORE DEPTH Ecclesiogenesis: The Base Communities Reinvent the Church Simply Cell The Second Leonardo Boff, Maryknoll: Orbis Books, Laurence Singlehurst, Liz West and William Beckham, Texas: Touch, 1996 1997 Trevor Withers, Harpenden: Cell UK Ministries, 2005 Equipped to Lead a Cell John Wesley’s Class Community Meeting Walking with Jesus Liz West and Trevor Withers, D. Michael Henderson, Nappanee: Gary Gibbs, Harpenden: Cell UK Harpenden: Cell UK Ministries, 2006 Press, 1997 Ministries, 2007 Equipping Future Cell Cell UK Magazine Moving to Cell Leaders Harpenden: Cell UK Ministries Laurence Singlehurst and Liz West, Liz West and Trevor Withers, Harpenden: Cell UK Ministries, 2006 Harpenden: Cell UK Ministries, 2005 YOUTH RESOURCES 4Life Equipped to Supervise Mark Powley, Harpenden: Cell UK Liz West and Trevor Withers, Cell It Ministries, 2006 Harpenden: Cell UK Ministries, 2004 Liz West and Paul Hopkins, Harpenden: Cell UK Ministries, 2000 The Challenge of Cell Church OTHER RESOURCES Passion Phil Potter, Oxford: BRF, 2001 Paul Hopkins, Harpenden: Cell UK Sowing Reaping and Keeping Ministries, 2005 Loving the Lost Laurence Singlehurst, Leicester: IVP, Laurence Singlehurst, Eastbourne: 2006 Kingsway, 2004 coursES Evangelism Through Cells Life in His Body Laurence Singlehurst and Liz West, Comprehensive Cell David Finnell, Texas: Touch, 1995 Harpenden: Cell UK Ministries, 2004 Training 1,2 & 3 Residential Courses from Cell UK, Cell UK Ministries, Highfield Oval Most of these resources are available through Cell UK online: www.celluk.org.uk Ambrose Lane, Harpenden, Hertfordshire AL5 4BX

The Scripture quotations contained herein are from The New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, Anglicized Edition, copyright © 1989, 1995 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the of America and are used by permission. All rights reserved.

The diagrams on page one are copyright © by Ian Freestone, A New Way of Being Church. All rights reserved.

Resurrecting the Classes is based on a paper by Peter Pillinger copyright © 2004. All rights reserved. Peter wishes to thank Bob Hopkins of Anglican Church Planting Initiatives for his help and permission to use his diagrams.

Laurence Singlehurst’s article on page five, ‘The DNA of Cell’, is copyright © 2005 by Cell UK. It was originally published in Cell UK Magazine; Issue 28 and is used by permission. All rights reserved. Further information Graham Horsley, Methodist Church House, Finally, Methodist CellUK wishes to thank Laurence Singlehurst, Graham Horsley, Carl Dodd 25 Marylebone Road, London NW1 5JR and David Kerr for their contributions. Tel: 020 7467 5243 © Trustees for Methodist Church Purposes, March 2007 E-mail: [email protected] Design and production by the Methodist Church Communication Office Website: www.methodist.org.uk

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