Cell Church

Background

The word "cell" refers to the biological cell. In a cell church, groups of about ten people meet in homes or similar settings for worship, sharing of the Word, prayer, and evangelism. Their goal is "multiplication," in which a group divides into two once its membership grows. Conventional churches often center on Sunday worship and departmental activities and treat small groups as supplementary gatherings. By contrast, the cell church is described as regarding the cell meeting as the basic unit of the church.

Korean churches already had a tradition of neighborhood-based small groups, such as the district worship meetings of Presbyterian and other churches and the class meetings (sokhoe) of Methodist churches. According to a commonly told account, leaders of overseas cell movements visited Korea in the 1980s to study its district system. For this reason, the cell church is sometimes presented as the Korean district system, refined abroad and then reintroduced to Korea.

Development

• Ralph Neighbour and Singapore: The American Baptist pastor Ralph W. Neighbour became known for restructuring a Baptist church in Singapore around cells. He later founded TOUCH, a cell ministry organization, and has been called "the father of the cell church."
• The beginning of G12 in 1991: César Castellanos, pastor of the International Charismatic Mission (MCI) in Bogotá, Colombia, stated that he had received the G12 (Government of 12) vision. G12 is a method inspired by Jesus' focus on His twelve disciples. One leader disciples twelve people, and each of those twelve in turn disciples twelve more. The method proceeds through four stages (evangelism, consolidation, discipleship, and sending) and includes "Encounter" retreats and leadership schools.
• Spread in Korea in the late 1990s and early 2000s: The term "cell" began to gain currency in Korea in the late 1990s. In January 2000, TOUCH Korea and NCD Korea invited Neighbour and held the first Korea Cell Church Convention in Seoul and Busan. Attendance was reported at about 2,000, of whom more than 1,400 were pastors. A second convention was held the following year, and churches such as Ansan Dongsan Church were cited as representative examples. In the early to mid-2000s, G12 conferences featuring Castellanos and Lawrence Khong, pastor of Faith Community Baptist Church (FCBC) in Singapore, were also held in Korea.

Results and Influence

Many churches converted their districts into cells or adopted variant models such as G12 and D12. Some churches abolished their existing men's mission societies and women's mission societies and reorganized around cells, and observers noted that this process caused confusion. Denominations reached the following judgments:

• Presbyterian Church in Korea (HapDong): At its 93rd General Assembly in 2008, the denomination is recorded as having resolved to urge "caution in use" regarding G12.
• Presbyterian Church of Korea (TongHap): At its 94th General Assembly in 2009, the denomination's position is recorded as "recommending that churches follow the guidance of the General Assembly." The reasoning was that, although G12 has positive aspects for evangelizing new believers, it could cause conflict with the men's and women's mission societies.

Assessment

Supporters hold that the cell church revives the ministry of the laity and fosters communities of mutual care. They regard it as a way of recovering the pattern of the early church, which gathered in homes (Acts 2:42–47).

Critics raise several concerns. First, by prioritizing multiplication and numbers, the cell church may become an extension of church-growth ideology. Second, it is unclear how it actually differs from the existing district or class meetings. Third, some researchers of heretical movements link it to the New Apostolic Reformation, arguing that the founder of G12 emphasizes direct revelation and deliverance (the casting out of demons). Neighbour himself expressed concern that Korean pastors were adopting the cell church too readily. He once remarked that it takes twenty-five years for a traditional church to become a cell church.