Meeting needs … a key to harvesting

Posted by Bill on September 23, 2011

Open Bible Church - California, Trinidad & Tobago

David Cho is the pastor of Yoido Full Gospel Chapel, the largest church in the world (700,000+), situated in Seoul, Korea. Cho attributes the success of his church to meeting practical needs in the lives of unchurched friends. He encourages his cell leaders, and the members of his church, to find a need and meet it. In a 1993 interview with Carl George (respected small groups authority), Cho explained his strategy of winning the lost through meeting practical needs. He said:

“We have 50,000 cell groups and each group will love two people to Christ within the next year. They select someone who’s not a Christian, whom they can pray for, love, and serve. They bring meals, help sweep out the person’s store – whatever it takes to show they really care for them … After three or four months of such love, the hardest soul softens up and surrenders to Christ” (‘Home Cell Group Explosion’ by Joel Comiskey).

While serving with Maadi Community Church, in Cairo, Victoria Garshong, one of our cell pastors who returned to Ghana wrote, concerning her ministry to orphan children …

Dear Pastor Bill,

I would like you to know the progress we have made so far with the Kids’ Ministry. Last two weeks we had our debut meeting in my house. My mother agreed for us to use the house for a sleep over. On Friday, November 8, I went and picked some of the kids after school at vantage points. Other children were brought in by their parents, and others came by themselves. In all, there were about twelve children to form the outreach team to go on our first mission trip to an orphanage. This will be done on the weekend of December 23. We intend to go to the orphanage to help out with house chores, offer baby care and fellowship with them. Your prayer support is urgently needed.

Victoria

Friends, Victoria was passionate and dedicated in her ministry to reaching out to lost children in her harvest field. She had latched on to a powerful key to successful harvesting. Victoria, like David Cho, chose to focus God’s love on meeting needs in the lives of young orphan children in her community.

Concerning this important element of evangelism, the Lord says, “If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love in words or tongue but with actions and in truth” (1 John 3:17-18).

Friends, the Gospel of Jesus Christ is always concerned with meeting the needs of others – it’s a key to successful harvesting!

Bill blogging for Joel Comiskey

Posted by Bill on June 24, 2010

This week I was very kindly invited to write an article for my good friend Joel Comiskey’s great blog (joelcomiskeygroup.com) while one of his team members is away.

Traditional-thinking and Cells don’t mix!

While traditional-thinking works nicely in a ministry-based church context, in a cells-based church setting it simply doesn’t work, believe me! Trying to convince traditional-thinkers that cells is the best way to grow a church (and the Kingdom of God) is like trying to convert Goliath to Judaism.

You can read the full post here

Thanks Joel for this great opportunity!

Joel Comiskey

Posted by Bill on April 9, 2010

I stayed for one week in Bill and Beryl’s apartment in Cairo, Egypt and Bill has visited my home in Moreno Valley, CA. We’ve ministered together in the heat of the battle.

I can say through experience that Bill is not only friendly and funny, but he’s also a true disciple of Jesus Christ. And he’s passionate for the small group movement. He lives and breathes small group ministry. And he’s been very successful at it.

The Maadi Community Church in Cairo exploded from 0 to more than 400 cell groups (with over 4,000 cell group members) and nearly 1,200 cell pastors were trained – all under Bill’s capable leadership. Bill created the Small Group Church Plan at MCC and patiently guided and nurtured it to abundant fruit. While staying in his apartment, I watched him staying up late at night to make sure his supervisors were properly coached, people fully trained, and lessons correctly prepared.

I’m excited about Bill’s small groups ministry because he’s not only an expert in his field but he’s a true practitioner. I wholeheartedly recommend him.

Joel Comiskey

Joel is a Pastor, best selling author and publisher – and he is internationally recognised as a Small Groups ‘Guru’