What
is
a


Cell?

At Mosaic we are fully committed to the ministry of small
groups. We call them Care Groups and base them on the New
Testament model.

The
New
Testament
model

The NT church is built on a cell, celebration model. The
believers met both in the home (cells) and in the temple
(celebrations). These two types of gatherings are essential for
a strong, healthy church. The Biblical church life therefore
involves not just gathering all the believers for a corporate
celebration but at the same time organising the whole body
into small growing groups. Both Acts and
Ephesians tell us that all who accepted
the message were not added to an The church
organisation or a building but to the body consists of
of believers. This tells us the NT concept people in
of the church is a people not a place, a relationship
body not a building. A body with many with God
parts, each part is functional and all parts
relate to one another
The bible when describing the church as a body makes it
clear that the church consists of people in relationship with
God and one another. This helps us understand the need for
believers to meet in a small group setting where they are
able to build one another up in love. The small group setting
is the most practical place where Christianity can be put into
practice and believers can grow as true disciples.

The
cell
and
its
components
as
a

basic
unit
of
life

In living organisms, the cell is the basic unit of life; likewise
we feel that the cell is the basic unit of church life. It is a
small, face-to-face ‘family-type’ gathering (3 to 12 people)
where the participants meet together regularly to build up
and encourage one another in Christ. Together, they study
the Word of God, apply its teachings to their lives, and
experience the ministry of the Holy Spirit as they love and
care for each other and the community at large. The following
are principles of life in a cell:

 The cell is able to carry out all functions necessary for life.
 The cell has capacity to grow.
 The process of growth and multiplication forms new cells.
 Cell multiplication must first involve growth of the cell and
multiplication of its nucleus. Church cells grow by reaching
more people and the leader duplicating themselves
through an intern.

In living organisms, a cell has two basic components, the cell

membrane and the nucleus. The membrane holds together all
the other components of the cell. It also controls the passage
of other substances into and out of the cell. The nucleus
contains chromosomes that carry the genetic material (DNA)
of the cell.

Relationships serve as the membrane in a church cell. It

keeps everyone together. Unless relationships among cell
members are established, it cannot have a true cell life.
Everyone gets acquainted with one another and begin to be
involved in each other’s lives.

God’s The cell leader corresponds to the

provision nucleus of the cell. The kind of leader
determines the kind of cell that will be
for our formed. Therefore it is important that cell
sense of leaders are people who fully agree with
security the vision, mission, beliefs and values of
Mosaic.

Building
relationships
is
a

non-optional
ingredient
of
cells

God is relational and has revealed Himself as Father. A Father
cannot be defined alone. To be a father means to be in
relationship with someone. Father implies relationship. A
trusting relationship with God and one another is God’s
provision for our sense of security. When we are insecure, we
tend to act in a selfish manner, we are constantly in pursuit
of acceptance, and this acceptance is not primarily sought
from God. It is only when we are secure in our relationship
with God that our actions will be born of faith, love and the
leading of the Holy Spirit. An insecure person is like one who
has no roots. Paul said in Ephesians 3:17 that we must be
rooted and grounded in love. Building relationships is the best
and effective way of spreading the gospel. Jesus said the
world would know us by our love. Having good relationships
is what ministry is all about.

Every
believer
a
minister

Another important key for successful cell
ministry is the biblical principle that
every believer is a minister. Church New
leaders such as shepherds, teachers,
believers
evangelists, prophets and apostles are
not supposed to do all the ministering.
growing in
When we look at Eph 4:11-13 we faith and
discover that the role of leaders is to maturity
prepare, make ready, train and equip the
people to minister to the needs of others
(v 11-12). The role of the people is to minister to one another
(v.12). The people are not dependent on the leaders to
minister and as they serve one another they are edified (built
up) and become spiritually mature. In cell life, therefore,
even young believers can participate in building up others.
We do not wait for believers to be mature by traditional
standards as even young believers can participate in edifying
(building up) others. This in turn, results in the new believers
growing in faith and maturity.
Stages
of
growth
of
a
cell
group

Flock level - the forming stage:
A new group of people gather together at an agreed time and
place to get to know one another and form a cell. Activities
involve gathering, contacting, congregating. The group focus
is for everyone to make time and effort to gather together.
They make meeting together their priority.
Friends level - the relational stage:
New relationships are forged and enjoyment is gained
through the company and fellowship of each other on a
regular basis, the cell group develops a sense of community
and spiritual togetherness. Activities involve connecting,
communicating, caring. The group focus is for everyone to
build a bond and unity with each other.
Faithful level - the maturing stage:
Members of the cell are able to identify a) where they are
spiritually, b) where they need to go and c) how to continue
the journey. The group focus is on the edification of one
another towards achieving spiritual freedom, maturity and
Christ likeness. At the same time the cell leaders are
identifying new leaders for future cells.
Foster level - the reproducing stage:
The cell group increases its number, and
prepares itself to multiply and be part of They are a
the birth of a new cell. The group focus is vital part of
duplication, by fostering a new cell. corporate
New cell members are gathered in at all life
levels.
We hope that this explanation helps to
put into context the place of care groups.
They are a vital part of corporate life as they combine
pastoral care, the development of spiritual maturity, and the
growth of Mosaic.
The Place for Love Hope and New Life

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