the cell-based church and the six spiritual needs of disillusioned americans written & produced...

The Cell-Based Church and the Six Spiritual Needs of Disillusioned Americans

Written & Produced byRick Diefenderfer

http://CreatingChristianCommunities.comrdiefenderfer@alltel.net

Copyright 2005

“It is astonishing to discover that 70 percentof Americans are now disillusioned

with the traditional church!”

George H. Gallup Jr.

“1992 Yearbook of American and Canadian Churches”

Abingdon Press

“Seventy percent of Americans believe most churches are not effective in helping

people find meaning in life.”

George H. Gallup Jr.

“1992 Yearbook of American and Canadian Churches”

Abingdon Press

Gallup’s Survey IdentifiedSix Spiritual Needs

1. To believe life is meaningful and has a purpose. 2. To have sense of community and deeper relationships. 3. To be appreciated and be respected. 4. To be listened to and be heard. 5. To feel that one is growing in the faith. 6. To have practical help in developing a mature faith.

George H. Gallup Jr.

“1992 Yearbook of American and Canadian Churches”Abingdon Press

“The concept of the Cell Church meets everyone of the items found lacking

in the traditional church.”

Dr. Ralph W. Neighbour, Jr.

“THE U.S.A. IS READY FOR CELL CHURCHES!”

CELLCHURCH MAGAZINE; Volume One - 1992

Spiritual Need # 1

To believe life is meaningful and has a purpose

Life is meaningful & has purpose

Our mission is to lead peopleinto a growing relationship with God

and with one another, through Jesus Christ,into basic Christian communities.

Spiritual Need # 2

To have a sense of community

and to have deeper relationships

Community & Deeper Relationships

It is difficult to form relationships and comeinto community when people sit quietly in

classrooms listening to the“Bible Answer Man”.

It is even more difficult to connect with one anotherwhile sitting in pews looking at the back of heads.

Community & Deeper Relationships

Living in basic Christian communities requiresan intentional commitment to meet with one

another in home-groups scattered acrossthe city for the two-fold purpose ofgenuine fellowship & expressions

of our faith through edifyingthe saints & evangelizing

the skeptics.

Community & Relationships

Everything in life revolves around relationships-- every thing --

The most important relationship is a personal

relationship with our heavenly Fatherthrough His Son Jesus Christ -- a vertical relationship --

Horizontal relationships bring balance in this life.The best horizontal relationships are covenant

commitments to become connected with saints and skeptics in

Christian community.

Spiritual Need # 3

To be appreciated and be respected

Appreciated & Respected

Cell-groups permit the church to once again become a community where a person can:

Love and be loved,

Know and be known,

Serve and be served,

Celebrate and be celebrated.

Appreciated & Respected

Our eyes will get off ourselves and unto the Lord.

Our own petty differences are minimized,which deepens the unity of the relationship.

And all this, when kept in balance, creates such a magnetism!

And then?

Well, then we start becoming what the church was originally designed to be -- irresistible!

The Bride -- Renewing Our Passion For The Church, Charles Swindoll

Spiritual Need # 4

To be listened to and be heard

Listened to & Heard

Genuine fellowship means that we care aboutand therefore we care for one another.

In our expression of our faith in Jesus Christ,edification of the saints and evangelism

of the skeptics naturally occur.

Spiritual Need # 5

To feel that one is growing in the faith

In Acts 2:41-47 -- the early Christians:

(1) believed in Jesus Christ, (2) were baptized, (3) were added to the group, (4) spent their time in learning, (5) took part in the fellowship, (6) shared their possessions, (7) prayed together, (8) met regularly as a group to worship, and (9) regularly added new believers to the group.

Growing in the Faith

These nine basic activities identify the four-fold purpose in a simple Cell-Based Church:

Spontaneous Worship

Substantial Instruction

Genuine Fellowship

Compassionate Expressions

Growing in the Faith

Acts 20:20 -- the Apostle Paul’s strategy was:

“to teach the message in public”(large-group worship = celebration)

&

“to teach the message from house to house”(small-group fellowship = cells)

Growing in the Faith

Large-Group Worship / CelebrationLarge enough to celebrate!

&

Small-Group Fellowship / CellSmall enough to care!

Spiritual Need #6

To have practical help in developing a mature faith

Developing a Mature Faith

The gathered large-group becomes scattered small groups as people meet in the homes throughout

the city one evening each week.

Here, there is discussion and application of theprevious week's message as we fellowship

with one another and express our faithin Jesus Christ through edification

and lifestyle evangelism.

Developing a Mature Faith

Worship and biblical Instruction is the two-fold purpose of the Sunday morning celebration service.

The experience of large-group celebration service helpsto fulfill the first of the Great Commandment…

“You should love the Lord, your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind" (Matt. 22:37)

Developing a Mature Faith

Fellowship and expressions of our faith in Jesus Christ is the two-fold purpose of the cell-group meeting.

The experience of the cell-group helps to fulfill thesecond part of the Great Commandment…

“You should love your neighbor as yourself" (Matt. 22:39)

Are you interested in learning more?

Contact Info:http://CreatingChristianCommunities.com

rdiefenderfer@alltel.net

Copyright © 1993 - 2005 Rick Diefenderfer

CreatingChristianCommunities.com™ PO Box 741, Godley, TX 76044