DAWN Fridayfax 1995 #50

News from Cell-churches (Worldwide), England, Zimbabwe

New wine in new skins: the cell-church movement

In the past two decades, the talk has been of a "new" movement: the cell-church movement. Cell-churches are local churches in which the church life and ministry to one another takes place mainly in cell groups instead of in a "central service". Most cell-churches do have a Sunday service, but the emphasis is on the cells, where counselling, ministry, prayer and evangelisation take place.

Observers of the movement say "The important thing about a cell group is not the quality of the worship leader or how gifted the group leader is, but the tangible love of Christ between the members. People are drawn to Christ when they experience his love practically."

Some examples of cell-churches

The best-known and, with 600,000 members, largest cell-church in the world is the Yoido Full Gospel Church in Seoul, Korea. Using the cell-church strategy, Portugal's Manna Church has grown to 150,000 members in the last 8 years; a church which it planted in Angola has over 10,000 members. The Elim Fellowship Church, a cell-church in San Salvador (Central America), has grown to 85,000 members.

The fastest-growing Mennonite churches in the world are the cell-churches in Ethiopia and Honduras. The development in Ethiopia started when the Communists took over the government, confiscated the churches and threw the most important leaders in jail. With neither buildings nor pastors, the church was forced to become a movement led by laypeople and meeting mostly in private houses. The membership has grown from 5,000 to over 60,000 since 1982. (The story can be seen on a video called "Against Great Odds" recently published by Gateway Films in the USA - tel. 1-800-735-5865 in USA.)

The Amor Vivente Church in Honduras, founded in 1974, has not only grown to 3,000 members, but has also planted 17 further churches in Honduras, Costa Rica and the USA (New York, New Orleans, Miami). The Faith Community Baptist Church in Singapore, a cell-church led by Pastor Lawrence Khong and Ralph Neighbour, has reached 4,500 members. In 1994, 1,780 people became Christians through the ministry of this church.

The difference from home groups

Many churches have experimented with home groups over the last 15 years. The problem, though, was that this was generally simply an extension to an existing church programme. Instead of being "where the action is" in the church, they had to compete with other programmes and activities - the new wineskin became simply a patch on the old, unchanged one.

The cell-church sees the cell group as the heart of the church; all other activities are secondary and must harmonise with the cell groups. Hong Kong's Shepherds Community Church, a new cell-church with 400 members in 34 cells, emphasises 3 things in building a cell-church: 1) seek God's vision for your life and your church; 2) a cell is more than simply a meeting - it is a relationship net; 3) the heart of an effective cell group is love.

Source: John Reid and others

England: why Alpha-courses work

In 1993, there were fewer than 10 Alpha-courses in England. In January 1996, the first national Alpha weekend will take place, in which around 2,000 local churches and 200 bookshops are involved. At the same time, 40 regional Alpha conferences will take place.

In 1995, more than 100,000 people took part in an Alpha course, which is a 10-week-long practical introduction to the Christian faith for the unchurched and new believers. They take place in a relaxed, informal atmosphere of a group of 10-12 people. Eric Delve, an inner-city pastor in Liverpool, says: "The Alpha concept is eminently portable, and the unobtrusive style is very helpful." There are currently 2,000 registered Alpha courses, a number which is growing at a rate of around 100 per month.

Nicky Gumbel, one of the staff of the Anglican Holy Trinity church in Brompton, London, and initiator of the Alpha courses, reports that over 10,000 church leaders have attended Alpha conferences. His aim: "5,000 parallel courses before the end of the century."

Source: David Waite and Tricia Neil/Alpha Tel. +44 (0)171-8239968

Zimbabwe: church-planting through water

When Lucky Moyo returned to Zimbabwe after several years in Germany, he discovered that not only had his home town Nkayi been torn apart by the civil war, but that it had also not rained for years. The people were disappointed and desperate, full of suspicion and no longer trusted anyone.

"So I met with a few people in the town and prayed humbly that God would send rain", says Lucky. "On the afternoon of the following day, clouds gathered. The sky became black and it rained until there were small floods. We held a thanksgiving service, and everyone was extremely happy. The people praised God and sighed a sigh of relief.

"To make it brief, that was the start of the Agape Mission, a small denomination which now includes 18 churches."

Source: Ted Olson, DAWN Africa

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