She was quite surprised and probably thought we were a bit weird, but the message was clear. Before leaving, I invited her to our church. The next Sunday she showed up at church and said to me, “When you didn’t accept my offer last week at the restaurant, then I knew that you were a Christian.” This girl heard me talk about Jesus previously at college, but she had to see Jesus played out in my character before believing. My actions, as opposed to my words, made the difference in her life.
People are watching our lives. They want to make sure that our actions correspond with our words before receiving the gospel message. They want to make sure that the leader they are going to follow is credible and honest. Godly character refers to Christ’s work in our actions, attitude, and daily Christian living.
Today we face a dearth of godly character. We’re inclined to cry out with the Psalmist, “Help, LORD, for the godly are no more” (Psalm 12:1). So many gifted Christians, who minister to multitudes, fall prey to their own moral weaknesses.
The words of Paul to Timothy are pertinent for this issue of character, “Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity” (1 Tim. 4:12). Paul knew that Timothy was surrounded with older critics who wanted nothing more than to see him fall. Ephesus, though one of the most prominent cities in the Roman world, was filled with idolatry, orgies, and magic. It was in Ephesus that “A number who had practiced sorcery brought their scrolls together and burned them publicly. When they calculated the value of the scrolls, the total came to fifty thousand drachmas” (Acts 19:19).
Paul’s advice to Timothy in the midst of temptation and corruption was, in effect, “silence your critics by your actions.” Be an example to the believers…in purity. The word purity (hagnos) is always used with a moral sense. It is not limited to sins of the flesh, but covers purity in motive as well as in acts. The age-old saying rings true: “Actions speak louder than words.” Cell leaders must maintain godly ethics and character at all times.
As a former missionary to Ecuador, I’d often here people saying, “In Ecuador, lots of oil flows.” The oil mentioned in this phrase is the oil of bribery, not petroleum. The system in Ecuador flows smoothly when it’s greased with lots of bribes.
Daniel Santana was one of my most trusted cell leaders. This man was respected as a first class architect, but more importantly as a godly Christian leader. Daniel confessed to me that by refusing to offer bribes, he lost many, many contracts as an architect. Yet, because of his refusal to mess around with sin, he maintained a pure testimony in the midst of a corrupt society. Make sure that who you are in the dark is the same person that lives in the day.
Servant Leadership
One characteristic of leadership that is unique to the New Testament is the concept of servanthood. Jesus taught His disciples to aspire to serve rather than “lord over.” According to Jesus, the greatest leaders were the most diligent servants. He then uses Himself as a personal illustration: “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mt. 10:42-45).
Jesus continually modeled this attitude with His small group to the point of washing their feet (John 13). Cell leaders must be willing to extend themselves as servants to the entire group. Steve Barker points out:
…A cell group requires lots of service. When a group starts, someone must decide on the who, when, where, why and how. This translates into placing phone calls, reserving rooms, arranging chairs, making coffee, offering rides, reminding people and finally, making introductions. Such nitty-gritty work is thankless but necessary. It’s the behind-the-scenes effort that often determines whether the initial small group meeting is a miserable failure or a promising beginning.
Although it’s always good to delegate, ultimately the cell leader is responsible for the activities in the group, the order of the meeting, where the group will meet, the refreshments, follow-up on the newcomers, etc. A servant heart is a necessary ingredient in effective cell ministry.
Leadership Requirements in Cell Churches Worldwide
The Bible gives clear guidelines for Christian leadership, but they are only guidelines. The specific application of Biblical leadership principles varies from church to church. How long, for example, should a person know Jesus before leading a cell group? Paul says in 1 Timothy 3:6 that a Bishop must not be “…a recent convert, or he may become conceited and fall under the same judgment as the devil.” But what does the word “recent” mean? The Greek the word “recent” literally means “newly-planted,” but we still need more information for a precise application. Does a “recent convert” mean three weeks or three years? We also must remember that Paul was referring to the office of bishop, the highest office in the church. Is it correct to place the requirements of bishop on a cell leader today?
In the eight cell churches in my study, the length of time a potential leader needs to be converted varied from three months to three years. The average length of knowing Jesus before leading a cell group was one year. It must be noted, however, that the International Charismatic Mission, which is the fastest growing cell church today, turns unbelievers into cell leaders in six months. These new believers still have fresh contact with their non-Christian oikos relationships and often become flaming evangelists.
