Christian leaders often ask, “Why don’t our groups multiply?†To sustain multiplication, your church must deal in a quite different way with each of three types of people, just as New Testament churches did: seekers, seeders and feeders. On the cutting edge of church reproduction movements in pioneer fields, these three types can thrive simultaneously in the same group. In the West, however, ‘feeder’ congregations become so gluttonous that they swallow up the other two types. Be very sure to deal with each type of folk, giving special attention to seekers, whom Western churches often neglect.
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Seekers |
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Seeders |
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Feeders |
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Cell made up mainly of… |
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Folk who need Jesus |
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New believers |
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Maturing believers
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Duration of cell… |
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Short-lived (members become a seeder cell when baptized) |
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Often lasts until members run out of friends who respond to Jesus |
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Indefinite
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Cell normally hosted by… |
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Seeker like Cornelius, Lydia, Levi, Zacheus, or a new believer |
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New believer, normally |
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Mature believer
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Led by… |
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New believer, coached by a POY! |
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New believer, coached by a POY! |
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Mature believer
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Chance of reproducing… |
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Nil (people do not yet know Jesus) |
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High, provided the new leader is being coached by a POY! |
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Seldom multiply enough to sustain movements but can mobilize workers
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Objective… |
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Receive the living Christ (not just learn facts about Him) |
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Sow gospel seed among friends and start new seeker cells |
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• Edify maturing believers
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Main activities… |
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Partying as Jesus did, with activities to gather people (games, barbecues, sports, outings) and testimonies by new believers, prayer for healing, etc.
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Learning to obey Jesus’ basic commands, loving one another and starting lots of seeker cells |
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Bible study, fellowship, mobilizing for ministry, commissioning workers |
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Common hindrances… |
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• Fear of losing of control. |
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• Fear of doing what Jesus and His apostles did.
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• Talkative folk and attention seekers. |
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Remedies… |
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• ‘Shake the dust’ where camels
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• 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.) |
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• Obey the New Testament ‘one-another’ commands. |
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