Questions:
- What is a cell group?
- What is a Sermon-Based Study?
- What happens in accountability?
- What happens in discipleship?
- What is the relationship between HCC and CCF?
- Why do cell group leaders have to go to HCC?
- How do we practice being brother-and-sisters in Christ despite personality differences and preferences?
- Is CCF exclusively Asian-American?
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1. What is a cell group?
- A cell group is what other fellowships may call a small group. A cell group is a co-ed, mixed year group of people led by a male and a female leader to walk in our journeys with Christ together.
- A cell group is the base of everyone’s ministry, where you experience Christian community in learning to serve with your gifts, where you can find people who personally discipled you and where you eventually can find someone to disciple in turn, and also a community where you can invite non-Christians into. It’s not a community where all we do is study the Bible (and speak in words that non-Christians couldn’t understand), but rather, it’s a place where we literally can share life together. Scripture is central (through Word Time and discussion) but more through as a conversation, rather than sermon. The hope is that non-Christians will see how Christians live out their lives, how they struggle, and how Christians learn to deal with the same things they are going through — only with God in their lives.
- Then, as cell groups bond and grow (in depth and in numbers), they will eventually multiply into two smaller cell groups — almost out of necessity, because there is no possible way to share deeply in a group of 20+ people. This multiplication will actually be a good thing because it makes space for more people to join in on the exciting things happening in the community. And for the two new groups, for them it will be a mission to reach out and bless those around them — together.
2. What is a Sermon-Based Study?
- A sermon-based study is designed to integrate the Sunday sermon and cell group study. A sermon-based study allows us to take one passage every week and study it more intently and apply it more specifically with a small group of believers. With a sermon-based study, the purpose of discussion is to narrow the focus of the sermon to college-age individuals. By connecting cell group studies to the Sunday sermon, this creates opportunities to recall and process what the Spirit was speaking to you in the preached Word.
- Sermons are made available on the HCC website (hcchome.org) by Sunday evening, where you can download an audio file and the manuscript. Anyone can still meaningfully participate in cell group study since the starting point is the biblical passage that the sermon is based on, not the sermon itself.
3. What happens in accountability?
- How do you find accountability? Ask! Be friends, build relationships. Accountability can be a very natural outgrowth from friendship.
- Models of accountability: Some accountability partners have a set time period / phase of life that they stay together. Some accountability partners eat/cook/talk; others take walks together; some meet once a week; others meet less regularly — but at the core is two (or sometimes three, or more… though it’s probably best to have one-on-one) (same-gender) brothers-and-sisters-in-Christ who care about each other, want to know God better, and pray.
- The biggest thing about accountability is to be honest. Be honest about your struggles and your flaws and your failures.
4. What happens in discipleship?
- How do you find a discipler / disciplee? Minister Henry is really good at connecting people for discipleship. We’re also setting up a point-person between CCF and BASIC to connect potential disciplers/disciplees. Basically, ask! You can take the initiative to ask someone to be your discipler (or your disciplee); you don’t have to wait for someone to come to you.
- Discipleship is similar to accountability, but usually one man (woman) is a little further in his (her) walk than the other. May be separated by a significant age gap / life stage, or may be just a year or two apart.
- Many models: meeting at meals, morning coffee, walks, volunteering at homeless shelters. Usually involves deep sharing, sometimes you read a book together, can be focused on counseling or teaching — but always prayer. It’s about living life-on-life. Probably best to do one-on-one (a disciplee might hold back when another person besides his/her discipler is present), though group discipleship is possible, too. Consider Bible studies as well.
- The purpose of discipleship is to strengthen the community by building up leaders; hopefully, those we disciple will go on to disciple others as well, sort of like a positive feedback loop of leadership in CCF
5. What is the relationship between HCC and CCF?
- CCF is HCC’s college ministry that is also a club on a university campus
- This means that we hold to HCC’s doctrine and statement of faith, follow HCC’s policies/procedures, are under the guidance of Pastor Jason Tarn. CCF is also accountable to HCC.
- If there are questions or issues or things that need to be cleared up, ASK. Sometimes traditions form and get passed down as “this is how things must be”, but that is not true. Ask for the reasons for doing things in certain ways. Is it based on doctrine? logistical reasons? off-the-cuff decision?
6. Why do cell group leaders have to go to HCC?
- Leaders must go to HCC for a variety of reasons. The primary reason is simply that because CCF is a ministry of HCC, HCC would like to have church-authority over the leaders and be able to oversee (in a good way) the teaching that results. If there ever were a case of a rogue leader with fuzzy teaching, the church would have authority to act.
- HCC has control over what it teaches its members and knows that whatever the leader learns from HCC is God-centered and truthful. This, while unlikely, may not be true about other churches.
- HCC firmly believes that a Christian should dedicate their full attention to one church in order to better serve the people around them. I know that this might cause difficulties, but be aware the HCC is very firm on this issue and their reasons are not illogical. Trust in God that everything will be alright and work for His good.
7. How do we practice being brother-and-sisters in Christ despite personality differences and preferences?
- Try, and try again. Be friendly and open, but you don’t have to be best friends with everyone. God made us all a certain way for a specific reason. Learn to treasure differences in the body of Christ, because everyone serves a different purpose, and no one is held in higher honor than another, because all are essential.
- In times of clashing / disagreement: (after you have time to cool down and become mature again) Run towards one another, instead of away. Seek reconciliation. Sit down and talk through differences; don’t let things simmer and let bitterness grow.
- On gossip: You can probably tell in your heart when you’re gossiping and when you’re not: are you doing it to make yourself feel better (than that other person)? Are you genuinely wanting to help him/her? Is what you’re saying necessary or beneficial? Sometimes you can make a statement if you’re in a group that is gossiping by just getting up and leaving — talk with the leader of the group later about how you felt when they were gossiping. Other times, you can stand up to the whole group and redirect conversation. Use discernment. How does the Spirit lead you? If anything, try to remove yourself from the situation: the things you see and hear, even if you try to filter them, can enter your heart and soul and be implanted there. Be careful what you expose yourself to. Don’t take preconceptions of one person from others.
8. Is CCF exclusively Asian American?
- Absolutely not! CCF welcomes all people, although it is predominantly Asian. This comes from the fact that we are the college ministry of Houston Chinese Church (elaborated on above).