Romans 12:6
Preparing to lead a cell meeting should not be a burdensome task, but it is vital. Prepare to lead a cell meeting by spending time with God. Pray over the members of your group and any visitors you know will attend.
The Cell Leader should know in advance who will be coming to the next meeting. Members who can't make it to a meeting are encouraged to contact the leader. Members bringing guests are also encouraged to inform the Cell Leader so appropriate planning decisions can be made (e.g. a different ice breaker may be chosen etc).
The venue for the next few meetings should be agreed in advance so that the host has time to prepare seating, light refreshments etc. Agreeing the venues for the next month should become a regular group activity.
The Cell Leader should also consider transport. How will each person get to the meeting? Lift sharing should be arranged in advance so everyone knows what is expected of them, and members should communicate in a timely way if plans change.
Frequency: Weekly. This is necessary for building quality relationships.
Duration: A normal cell meeting should last about 90 minutes.
Venue: Ideally, moving from house to house.
Be prepared to use the most appropriate venue. Potentially, every cell member could host the group from time to time. It is not necessary to have a large home – cell groups are still able to function when everyone has to squeeze in! The homes of unbelievers associated with the cell may also be used. In practise it is often found that 2 or 3 homes become the main venues for a particular group. This is fine.
Advantages of moving from house to house:
Refreshments: Light refreshments are best served at the beginning of a meeting, but this can be varied if you wish.
Setting: Sat round in a circle facing one another.
Open and Close with Prayer: It is recommended that a cell meeting be briefly opened and closed with prayer. Two key advantages are: (1) It gives the meeting a definite start and a definite finish – the meeting does not tail off into a chaotic and uncertain end; (2) The meeting content is committed to God at the beginning and the meeting outcome is committed to God at the end.
Structure: The four W's provide the basic structure:
Timing: (Approximate)
Try to respond to revealed needs within this structure. For example: A personal need revealed during the icebreaker can be prayed over during the Ministry Time. Absent or sick members may be prayed for during the Worship Time, but make sure worship and the exalting of God himself remain the focus!
Always allow the Holy Spirit the right to revise your schedule! If powerful, Spirit led ministry begins to happen, don't stop it just to go on to the next thing on time – be sensitive to the Spirit!
Remember: Time must be positively managed. Meetings that run over time can cause people a multitude of problems.
Guests: Always be prepared to welcome guests to your group. Make a fuss of visitors (but don't embarrass them); begin to get to know them. Remember, ministry to outsiders that may help them come to Christ is the mission of your cell!
Involve Others: Delegate whenever you can. A key objective of every cell is to involve each member in ministry. Give people opportunities to serve, but you must still monitor and support them!
Immediately after the meeting ends, take 5 minutes with your Apprentice Leader(s) to discuss how things went:
Finish by sharing a brief word of prayer together.
E8.3 Leading a Cell Meeting.docx Version 3 – Mar 11