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Vision
How exciting it must have been to have been part of the early church as described in the New Testament – but should we settle for less today?
Convinced that the God we love and serve hasn't changed, we need to question, how can we experience church as it is described in Acts and beyond? It is clear that the New Testament model of church took place both in large dynamic meetings and in smaller groups when people met together, often in their homes. Based on this model, CFC has been transitioning to cell church since 1995.
We have a vision to enable each church member to experience and contribute to the life of this local expression of the body of Christ. Through cell everyone can be involved in working towards the fulfillment of our God given Vision to be a Christ Centred Community dedicated to impacting Belfast, Ireland and the Nations with the Love of God, in the Power of the Holy Spirit.
For further Cell information contact Heather Kennedy
Values
Vision comes from values and our values come from the word of God.
Lets look at some of the key values of cell life…
Christ Centred
This is the key value from which all others flow. The focus of the cell group is on Jesus and what He wants to do with us. It is His presence as we meet together that makes our cells unique from any other small group gathering. Through the Spirit, He meets with us to inspire our worship, give gifts, build us up, bring life and application to the bible, build meaningful relationships and challenge us to introduce others to God’s family. He is the agenda – His presence sets all other agendas.
Sacrificial Love
It is the sacrificial love exemplified through Christ’s own life and now made available to us through His Holy Spirit that forms an essential part of cell life. The dynamic of self-sacrifice forms the cement that binds together relationships. It is not only what you can gain out of cell life that is important, but also what you can contribute and give.
Every Member Ministry
As the body of Christ, we all have a part to play, each with unique gifts and skills to offer. Cell groups become the place where we can all grow in and use our giftings. Cell church thrives when all are involved.
Community
Cells are not just meetings – but are the realisation of community. Being a cell member means being committed to 10-14 people – caring for and looking out for one another, building and developing relationships based on trust, openness and honesty, sharing in one another’s lives and the lives of our extended families and friends- and even having fun together!! This is facilitated by meeting together weekly in a group, spending time with one another outside of the group, and coming together on Sundays for a celebration.
Evangelism and Multiplication
Church groups can too often become inward focused and exclusive – cells on the other hand should be outward focused and inclusive. The challenge for all cell members is to impact those around them, building strong and meaningful relationships in the wider community – learning to pray for, befriend and reach out to the lost. As cells grow and develop the ultimate aim is that they reproduce new leaders and multiply.
Every Member Maturity
Christianity is a lifelong, developing relationship with Jesus. Cells are a place where new Christians can be discipled and where all members can mature and grow in the plans that Jesus has for them personally and to equip them to be kingdom builders.
Types of Cells
The majority of our cells are made up of male and female adults with a mixture of singles, married couples and families. There are some groups that are more specific – men only / women only / intergenerational / 18-25’s.
There are also youth cells and Powerhouse cells for P5-P7
Joining a Cell
Cell membership is open to every member of CFC and those who attend regularly and are in the process of becoming members. Our goal is to have all our members in cell groups, however, because numbers attending a group are limited to ensure they function most effectively there may, at times, be a waiting list, as we continually work towards training and developing new leaders to start new groups.
If you wish to join a group there are several options:
- contact a cell leader you know and ask if they have space in their cell
- fill in the Looking for a cell form which can be found on the information desk in CFC or online HERE
- contact Heather Kennedy or phone 028 9067 1838 ext 853
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Cell Leader Discussion Questions HERE
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Cell Leader Training
Forget classrooms and lecture style—this dynamic training is carried out over 8 weeks in a cell group setting, where participation is the key, with supper, chat & fun also essential elements. The ‘word’ section of our training cell each week is based on a chapter from our cell leader manual which has been written specifically for CFC-but is now in demand by churches world wide. Training is open to members of CFC who are actively involved in a cell group. If you have the heart and commitment to lead a cell, we will train you in the skills.
Facilitators; Heather and Cliff Kennedy
Click HERE for the training brochure
Contact Heather Kennedy for further information.
Cell Leader's Meeting 05 Feb 2008 | Paul Reid (Streaming) (download)
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