the cell-based church and the six spiritual needs of disillusioned americans written & produced...
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The Cell-Based Church and the Six Spiritual Needs of Disillusioned Americans
Written & Produced byRick Diefenderfer
http://[email protected]
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
Copyright © 1993 - 2005 Rick Diefenderfer
CreatingChristianCommunities.com™ PO Box 741, Godley, TX 76044