Small Groups = Cell Groups
What is a Cell Group?
It is a small group which meets regularly to share, pray and open up the Bible together so that relationships can grow, with God (up), between group members (in), and with the church and beyond (out). These relationships support every aspect of Christian life for the group members, 24/7 not just when they meet together. The cell is a group open to receiving new members into these relationships and multiplying, as living cells do, to enable more growth both relationally and numerically.
A Model for Growth
One spring I saw God do a miracle in our back garden. In the space of a week or so the Beech trees behind our house were transformed from bare branches to being covered thickly in fresh green leaves. I was amazed at how so much foliage could grow at once. The trees gathered nutrients and water from the ground, and carbon dioxide from the air and in one massive effort suddenly sprung forth leaves over every branch. And every bit of that growth happened solely through the multiplication of thousands of cells, all with the same DNA so that almost identical leaves appeared all at once over the whole tree. It all happens at the level of cells; something we cannot see except with a microscope.
God can also grow the body of Christ, the church, in the same way. We have chosen to look at how he designed growth to happen in his living creation as one way of enabling growth to occur within our living body of Christ in Trinity Church Eindhoven (“TCE”). So we have a growing number of little relationship based cells of TCE members, each of which has the TCE DNA for making and growing disciples of Jesus Christ. Each cell slowly grows in number of participants so that it is eventually big enough to multiply into two new cells which can begin those growth processes again, just as in each leaf of the tree.
Current Cell Groups
There are presently morning cells of parents with children present, 2 daytime women’s cells, several evening cells of different sorts (eg couples, young parents/families, mixed ages/singles/couples), a chinese speaking group, an Indian families group, a young couples/families Sunday afternoon group, and cells for young adults. There are more cells forming as cells multiply or as more people grasp the vision and become available to start new ones.
Cell leaders/nuclei receive training and support as necessary to equip cells to function as healthily as possible.
How can you get involved?
If you are interested in being part of a cell you can best contact the Cell Groups Coordinators. If there is a cell already existing where you may relate well, they can put you in contact with a leader. If there isn’t already a cell suitable for you, there may soon will be, and the coordinators will keep in contact with you about that.