Cell Groups

A Growing Community: "They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer." (Acts 2:42)

CELL VALUES

Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honour one another above yourselves.
(Romans 12:10)

Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.
(Ephesians 4:32)

But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness.
(Hebrews 3:13)

And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.
(Hebrews 10:24)

Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.
(James 5:16)

Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.
(Romans 15:7)

Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.
(Ephesians 5:21)

Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.
(Colossians 3:13)

You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love.
(Galatians 5:13)

First Steps

At All Saints Church we are committed to developing as a Cell Church. Therefore, we have set up Home Cell Groups. The hope is that as many as possible of the church membership here will also belong to one of these smaller groups which will be a source of fellowship, worship, learning, witness and growth - a place of safety where our relationship with God and with one another can develop.

We are still at an early stage of this exciting step in faith. But we hope to rise to the challenges presented by this change. We hope to develop from being a church with cell groups to becoming a church of cell groups. With God's help anything is possible!

Want to know more? Then read on ...

Being a Cell Church

During our leadership training and preparation, we have looked at four key features of being a cell church. We will apply these to the way we work. They are:

1. Small Groups:

Small groups are placed at the heart of the church's life where they can have the "Number One" call on people's commitment.

Some of the principles on which small groups are founded are contained in Luke's Gospel (see Chapters 4, 5, and 6), in Acts (Chapters 2, 5, 10, 20, and 21), and in the pattern given by Moses to Jethro in Exodus (Chapter 18).

2. An Agreed Structure:

Each meeting usually lasts about two hours, split across four elements:

  • Welcome: gathering the group together and helping it to gel.
  • Worship: recognising that God is with us - an encounter with God.
  • Word: we learn together, using God's Word, but this will be a different style from a traditional Bible study
  • Witness: a practical section which follows on from the rest of the meeting.

3. Values:

Cell church principles embrace and reinforce a key set of values which can underlie the whole foundations of the church. At All Saints, we have defined them as A to E:

  • All Involved: we have an every member ministry. Every member takes part, and every member's gifts are used.
  • Becoming Disciples: radically applying and adapting God's Word in our lives.
  • Creating Community: not just attending meetings, but sharing lives and building relationships.
  • Doing Evangelism: as opposed to just talking about it!
  • Encountering Jesus: expecting a release of his presence and power among his people.

4. A Growing Community:

A place which combines belonging, with learning, unity, vulnerability, nuturing of gifts, and application of learning, and is open enough to both grow and multiply.

Still Interested?

If you are interested in joining one of our cells, please contact our Parish Office.

Some of the above material is based on "The Challenge of Cell Church" by Phil Potter. For more details of this book, and other information about small groups and Cell Church, visit fresh expressions.