Copyright © 2009 by Galen Currah, Edward Aw and George Patterson.
Permission is granted freely to reproduce, translate, post and distribute.
We are often asked in North America, “Why don’t our small groups multiply?” To sustain multiplication, your church must form three distinct types of cells, just as New Testament churches did: seeker, seeder and feeder cells. Church-reproduction movements in pioneer fields include these three simultaneously. North America churches typically include the first two in the third, effecting stifling them. (In this diagram, the word multipliers refers to mature believers who prove passionate about multiplication.)
|
Seeker Cell |
Seeder Cell |
Feeder Cell |
|
|
Made up mainly of… |
People who need Jesus |
New believers |
Maturing believers |
|
Duration… |
Short-lived (members become a seeder cell when baptized) |
Lasts until members run out of friends who respond to Jesus |
Indefinite |
|
Hosted by, normally… |
Seeker like Cornelius, Lydia, Levi, Zacheus, or a new believer |
New believer, normally |
Mature believer |
|
Led by… |
New believer, mentored by a multiplier, or a multiplier’s apprentice |
New believer, mentored by a multiplier, or a multiplier’s apprentice |
Mature believer |
|
Chance of reproducing… |
Nil (folk do not yet know Jesus), although other seeker cells may start |
High, provided that the new leader is being mentored by a multiplier |
Seldom multiply enough to sustain a movement but can mobilise multipliers |
|
Objective… |
Receive the living Christ (not just learn facts about Him) |
Sow gospel seed among friends and start new seeker cells |
• Edify maturing believers • Keep non-multipliers out of seeker and seeder cells |
|
Main activities… |
Partying as Jesus did, with activities to gather folks (games, barbecues, sports, outings) and testimonies by new believers, prayer for healing, etc. |
Learning to obey Jesus’ basic commands, loving one another and starting lots of seeker cells |
Bible study, fellowship, mobilizing for ministry, commissioning multipliers |
|
Common hindrances… |
• Fear of losing of control. • Trying to push camels through • Teaching dogma prematurely. • Going directly to feeder cells. • Wasting time trying to force feeder cells to multiply. |
• Fear of doing what Jesus and His apostles did. • Jumping the gun by taking folks into feeder cells before they finish reaching friends. • Failing to embrace their cell as the spiritual body that gives them their main pastoral care. |
• The overly talkative and attention seekers. • Excessive monologue. • Discouraging multipliers. |
|
Remedies… |
• ‘Shake the dust’ where camels • Risk doing what Jesus and His apostles did ? let seekers gather friends to meet Jesus and hear what he is doing among them |
• Let new believers who are family heads do at once what God requires of all family heads: shepherd their families and close friends. (You are neither ordaining them nor naming them as elders.) • Multipliers mentor the new leaders. |
• Obey the New Testament ‘one-another’ commands. • Dialogue instead of monologue. • Plan member’s weekly ministry and encourage multipliers. • Start another group when numbers rise. |
|
Helps & examples… |
Send examples of how you have successfully gathered a seeker cell to GPatterson@mentornet.ws, and they’ll be posted in a MentorNet message. |
Helpful materials & guidelines: • Train & Multiply®: www.trainandmultiply.com/ (proven) • Paul-Timothy studies (free): • How to mentor new leaders: www.MentorAndMultiply.com/ |
• Few need help with this, as most churches already know how to start and sustain feeder cells. • Almost all books on church growth advocate for feeder groups. |
Additional resources
· Order G. Patterson’s Church Multiplication Guide from a bookshop or at <www.WCLbooks.com>.
· To subscribe to MentorNet, or to download earlier messages, visit <www.MentorNet.ws>.
MentorNet #71 - Integrate Healing with Evangelism and Church Planting
This is a very helpful artical. There does seem to be three distinct seasons in the context of small groups. The difficult part is discerning where a particular group is at (usually there is a mix of each), and then transitioning to the next season appropriately.
I think a “seeder” group needs to have some sort of benchmark or end in sight. Like an 8 week, 3 month, or 6 month commitment. That way it becomes a lot more clear to everyone that they need to grow and progress into the feeder stage and reproduce.
How long is it appropriate for a disciple to stay in seeder mode?
I would like to print this, but the third column is partially hidden. Any solution?