 "Peter replied, 'Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off-- for all whom the Lord our God will call.'
Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day. They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. All the believers were together and had everything in common.
Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved."
(Acts 2:38-39,41-42,44,46-47 NIV)
Strong friendships is the most important reasons people like yourself commit themselves to a church and the feeling of not belonging is the reason you will probably drop out of church. Though a church may have an overflowing sanctuary and dynamic preaching, you may still lack the meaningful fellowship you see. For this reason, The Good Shepherd Restoration Ministries has established cell groups that are formed from the fellowship of support groups, our evangelistic outreach efforts, our men's ministry called "The Brotherhood" as well as our Women's ministy.
While fellowship of believers is the primary focus of the cell group, it is also the forum by which we teach the doctrines of Jesus Christ to those reached in the community as a means of discipleship. Cell group ministries come in all shapes and sizes, differing according to each church's needs and limitations. However, three characteristics tend to be true of all such groups. The groups are:
Modeled after the New Testament Church. On the day of Pentecost 3,000 people received peter's sermon and were added to the assembly of believers. The Bible say, "they devoted themselves...to the fellowship" and they "broke bread in their homes and ate together in gladness and with sincere hearts" (Acts 2:42,46).
Organized by splecific areas of need. Cell groups may meet for a number of reasons, such as Bible study, singles' ministry or special projects, but fellowship and social interction in a christian context are legitimate ends in themselves. People come to see that the life of the church is not in the building but in the cells. Although there is a weekly celebration in the church building, significant ministry takes place in the home groups.
Used as evangelism tools. Unchurched family and friends may be more likely to attend an informal home gathering, viewing it as less threatening than a large worship service. As relationships build, these same people may begin to accompany cell group members to their church meetings. People sometimes make commitments to Christ through cell group involvement, which is sometimes referred to as "side-door evagelism."
Pastor Sanders has started with a pilot group that agreed to meet for six to eight weeks for training. Now, these people have been asked to go out and start their own groups, each having an assistant leader. The groups are expected to grow as members invite others to attend. As the groups enlarge, the assistant leaders will take three or four members and split off to form other groups. As the groups evolve Pastor Sanders is periodically evaluating the ministry to make sure it continues to meet people's needs and the objectives of The Good Shepherd Restoration Ministries.
Has your church growned to the point that everyone seem to be strangers, or even worse, have you out-growned the traditional church? Pherhaps, the Holy Spirit is leading you to take a leadership role in discipleship or evangelism, but you're not sure about how or where to start. Leading a cell group may be just perfect for your situation.
Why don't you become apart of a new kind of ministry...one that places emphasis on true spiritual fellowship. Our Pastor really wants to hear from you, because you're needed in the work of the ministry! For more information, please contact us. You'll be glad you did! (It's no coincidence you ended up at the website, you know.)
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