Also, do not use a long passage. Pastor Dion Robert oversees one of the most dynamic cell churches in the world, in the Ivory Coast. His cell groups focus on just one verse each week. I don’t restrict cell agendas quite that much, but the lesson remains: Stay focused. It is all right for cell leaders to occasionally deviate from the given agenda, but this should be the exception rather than the rule.
ESTABLISH A SIMPLE SYSTEM
Writing agendas for home groups doesn’t take a lot of time, but it does require a simple system. The first step in creating this system is deciding who should write the agendas. Many senior pastors write their own because the agendas are crucial to the life of their church. Other pastors find they are not talented at crafting questions, so they delegate it to someone more gifted in this area.
The person writing agendas for home groups needs the message theme a few days ahead of time so the cell leaders can receive the agendas the day of the sermon. Don’t worry if the sermon changes at the last minute—the agenda will still be of value and can still be usable.
If possible, distribute the agenda to cell leaders in multiple ways. For example, we have mailboxes for the cell leaders, and the agendas go in those boxes each week. But they are also sent via email to those who have email accounts. That way, some who missed Sunday service or forgot to check their box get the agenda in a timely manner.
For maximum life-change, follow a sermon topic for four to six weeks. This allows God’s Word to soak in and take root in cell members as they hear the Word and discuss related issues over a period of weeks.
WRITE POWERFUL AGENDAS
At the top of the agenda, clearly put the week, the theme and the Scripture. To illustrate a typical cell agenda here, we will use:
Week of January 1 — “New Beginnings,” Philippians 3:12-14
The agenda should then follow the standard four W’s:
Welcome. Include one or two icebreaker suggestions. These can follow the Scripture theme or be related to the time of year. Icebreakers should be easy to answer and not consume much time. For example, you could put:
1. What is one thing God did for you last year?
2. What is one goal you have for the year ahead?
3. What is one thing you want God to do for you in the New Year?
Worship. You don’t have to include worship suggestions, but you can. Usually someone other than the cell leader leads worship. Remember, cells should use songs that are easy to sing and used by your church on Sundays.
