Joel Comiskey

Posted by Bill on October 30, 2012

Joel Comiskey says …

I count it a privilege to have worked in cell group ministry for over a decade with my good friend, Bill Joukhadar. Bill has ministered to me over and over. He also has contributed many articles to our daily JCG blogs. Our JCG blogs cover different aspects of cell group life, and I’d like to encourage you to sign-up to receive each blog daily in your email to help you grow in your cell knowledge.

If you’d like to receive the blog into your email each day, please click HERE.

In December 2011 we had less than 1000 people receiving the JCG blog in their emails. At that time, Bill felt in his spirit that JCG would have 2000 people by the end of December 2012. I didn’t really believe it was possible but felt an excitement and even took it as a challenge. Right now we have 1930 people, and it’s possible to reach 2000 by December 31!

I pray that you will be part of that number.

Please sign up today.

Joel

www.joelcomiskeygroup.com
www.comiskey.org

Please consider this worthwhile opportunity to ‘drink’ from a variety of streams of thought on this important subject and share this opportunity with others whom you feel may also be interested.

Myth: The Number 12 Has Special Significance in the Organization of Groups

Posted by Joel on March 31, 2012

The International Charismatic Mission in Bogota, Columbia exploded with growth in the 1990s and became a worldwide sensation. I wrote about their church in my book, Groups of Twelve: A New Way to Mobilize Leaders and Multiply Groups in Your Church. I later had to pull back my support for this church because of their fixation on the number twelve and their exclusivity in promoting their own model. Was ICM’s model based on the number twelve the secret to their success?

Truth: The Principles of Evangelism and Discipleship Make Cell Ministry Work

The International Charismatic Mission became effective by following certain principles rather than a particular number. One principle they perfected was seeing every person in the church as a potential leader—not only those with the gift of evangelism or the gift of leadership.

Since ICM saw the potential of cell leadership in every member, the logical step was to train each person to participate in cell ministry. Much of their training involved breaking bondages and liberating people from sins that held them back.

ICM also saw every leader as a potential supervisor and asked each parent cell leader to supervise the cells they birthed. Because supervisors were not appointed in the G12 model, each individual leader had more motivation to multiply cell groups.

Sadly, ICM fell into the trap of asking everyone to follow their entire model, rather than principles that could be adapted and adjusted according to context. They began to promote their entire model as being the only anointed one. They asked churches to adopt their model rather than adapting principles.

My advice is to adapt G12 principles rather than to adopt the G12 model.

Joel Comiskey

Myth: Following a Particular Model Will Bring Success

Posted by Joel on March 24, 2012

In this next series of blog posts, I’ll explain five myths / truths that have to do with cell church models versus principles. I elaborate these myths and truths more fully in my book, Myths and Truths of the Cell Church: Key Principles That Make or Break Cell Ministry (2011).

Myth: Following a Particular Model Will Bring Success

I consulted a church who followed the Groups of Twelve model, developed in Bogota, Colombia. I discovered that before jumping into the G12 camp, they were following Cho’s model, and before that they copied the Saddleback model. Now waving the G12 flag, they were trying very hard to copy the model exactly.

They even took trips to the International Charismatic Mission in Colombia and made similar pilgrimages to other famous G12 churches. They wanted to catch the anointing of these churches, so they could experience similar growth. In spite of their high expectations, their church did not grow.

As I talked to this pastoral team, it became clear they were neglecting basic cell fundamentals in the hope that the model would automatically produce growth. I noticed little flexibility and an unhealthy focus on outward structure that didn’t suit their culture, denomination, and background.

These pastors are not alone. Many pastors covertly or overtly believe that finding the right model will unlock their success. They might have heard the pastor of a growing cell church say something like, “All you have to do is follow what I’m doing and your church will grow.” You are then instructed to come back multiple times to learn the correct procedures. But is choosing and following a model the best way to proceed?

Truth: Apply Principles to Your Specific Situation

Many pastors just don’t understand that principles—not models—produce fruitfulness. The growing cell churches are innovative and break the molds. David Cho, for example, became convinced of the cell model on his death bed. He realized that Jethro’s advice to Moses in Exodus 18 applied to his own situation. He then read about the house churches in the book of Acts, and God gave him the vision to start home groups. He had to innovate and tweak his structure as he went forward because he was pioneering new ground. He followed the Spirit of God based on what he saw in scripture.

Principles take precedence over models. Principles allow for flexibility and apply to a wide range of situations. Models are culturally bound.

Models are inflexible and often require an exact set of circumstances to make them work. Principles apply to any denomination, culture, or situation.

In my study of cell churches around the world, I discovered several common patterns or principles:

Dependence on Jesus Christ through prayer.
Senior pastor and leadership team giving strong, visionary leadership to the cell ministry.
Cell ministry promoted as the backbone of the church.
Clear definition of a cell group (weekly, outside the church building, evangelistic, pastoral care/discipleship, clear goal of multiplication).

The above four are the most important, but I noticed other common principles in these growing cell churches as well (explained more fully in my book Reap the Harvest).

The principle approach allows for plenty of adaptation and innovation. In fact, I admire pastors who have adjusted their cell ministry to better fit their own context.

Rather than being the slave of someone else’s model, pastors should follow principles and become a fresh, vibrant example in their own context.

Joel Comiskey

Myth: Cell Church Is a Fad

Posted by Joel on February 18, 2012

Many look at cell church as a hot trend of the 1990s, but believe that there are now more cutting-edge strategies going on in the church.

Some of the newer trends are multi-site ministry, seeker models, video venues, and so many more. Some think the cell church had its day but church life and ministry has largely passed it by; we should now focus on more promising developments.

Truth: The Cell Church Has Deep Roots

I was recently reading a book by Ron Trudinger called Cells for Life: Home Groups, God’s Strategy for Church Growth. The author writes with penetrating clarity about the effectiveness of home cell groups and their power to transform lives and raise up new leaders. While reading the book, I had to keep on reminding myself that Trudinger is now in heaven, and he wrote the book in 1979!

There is nothing new under the sun. Home cell groups have been around for a long, long time. As I reflect on my own ministry, I’m keenly aware and appreciative of the pioneers who have gone before me. Carl George’s 1991 book, Prepare Your Church for the Future, revolutionized my own vision for cell groups and transformed my ministry. I stand on his shoulders. I’m also very grateful for Ralph Neighbour and Bill Beckham, two cell church pioneers, who have helped so many churches understand the values and principles behind cell ministry. Every time I read Neighbour’s Where Do We Go From Here, I receive new insight and grow in my appreciation for both the author and his in-depth cell church theology.

Going back even further, we see David Cho, the founder of the modern day cell church movement. I have never fully recovered from reading Cho’s Successful Home Cell Groups back in 1984. It lit a passion inside me for the possibilities of home group ministry. But Cho didn’t start the cell church movement. He stands on the shoulders of John Wesley and the Methodist movement, who were helped by the Moravians, who in turn were heavily influenced by the Pietists. And all of them stand on the New Testament’s emphasis of house to house ministry and celebration worship (Acts 2:42-46).

The modern day cell church movement is not new. It’s actually quite ancient. I’m grateful for the pioneer work of Ron Trudinger and others. While we in the present day cell church movement ask God for future insight and direction, we are very grateful that cell church is not a fad. Cell church is here to stay.

Myth: The Cell Church Does Not Work

Posted by Joel on February 11, 2012

Many pastors see cell church as a strategy that might work in other cultures but not in their own. This is especially true in the western world.

One church leader from North America wrote to me, “I was with a group of pastors the other day. One of the pastors, who is a church planter, said that cell ministry is not working in the American culture and it’s been generally set aside here in America. It works in other cultures, just not here.” Many pastors echo the concern that cell church might work over there but not here. It’s easy to look at the growing cell churches in other cultures and conclude that it won’t work in my context.

Truth: Cell Church Brings Health, Life, and Growth

Most pastors want more church growth than they are currently experiencing. Yet, in many places around the world there’s a decline in spirituality and church growth in general. In the western world, this decline has been taking place slowly but surely for many years. The cell church strategy reminds church members that it’s not enough to come to church on Sunday, hear a message, and then repeat the process the next week.

Cell ministry helps members to live out the message during the week, be accountable to a smaller group of believers, and receive training to become a disciple-maker. The good news is that cell churches have a better chance of surviving in resistant climates and actually growing more than non-cell churches.

Natural Church Development did a worldwide study that used twenty million pieces of data to compare growth rates of cell churches with non-cell churches. The study found that cell churches grow 2.5 times faster than traditional churches and are healthier according to the eight NCD health factors (more information about this entire study is on my website)