Integration: Looking Back 25 Years Later

by | Jul 13, 2010 | Uncategorized | 4 comments

marioby Mario Vega

When talking about integration, it is usually done from the perspective of a church that is making its transition to become a cell church. This is not the case at Elim. Next year we will celebrate 25 years since making the transition to cell church ministry. For our members, the perspective is now very different. Most people that now attend Elim had their first exposure to the gospel in a cell. They accepted the invitation to attend a cell, were converted, and then eventually started attending the celebration services.

Most people at Elim first relate to the cell environment, to the leader, to the host, to the supervisor and then eventually learn about the other functions of the church via the celebration services (i.e., musicians, deacon and deaconess, children’s church, women’s fasting services, youth activities, etc.)

Their involvement begins in the cell and that leads them to other privileges in the celebration service. This means that they come to integration in a natural way. In fact, they don’t even need to think about the concept of integration. For them the integrated church is the church. This is all they ever knew.

Comments?

Mario

Translation into Spanish:

Después de la integración

Cuando se habla del tema de la integración normalmente se hace desde la perspectiva de una iglesia que se encuentra haciendo su transición para convertirse en una iglesia celular.

El próximo año cumpliremos en Elim 25 años de haber hecho nuestra transición. Para nuestros miembros la perspectiva es ahora muy diferente. La mayor parte de personas que hoy asisten a Elim tuvieron su primer acercamiento al evangelio en una célula. Fueron invitados y asistieron. Luego vino la conversión y comenzaron a ir a las celebraciones. La célula fue antes que la celebración.

Las personas se relacionan primero con el ambiente de la célula, con el lder, con el anfitrión, con el supervisor. Después, en la celebración, se van enterando que existen otras funciones. Como la de músico, diácono y diaconisa, iglesia infantil, ayuno de mujeres, actividades de jóvenes, etc.

Su involucramiento comienza en la célula y, eso, les conduce a otros privilegios en la celebración. Es decir que ellos llegan a una integración de manera natural. En realidad, ellos ni siquiera manejan el concepto de integración. Para ellos la iglesia integrada es la iglesia. La única que han conocido.

¿Comentarios?

4 Comments

  1. Joel Comiskey

    Powerful, Mario!! Bring it here to North America, Lord!!

    Reply
  2. Manuel Zárate

    Hola, soy miembro y estoy a cargo de un grupo de matrimonios en el Centro Cristiano de Fe Bethel en Tuxtla Gutierrez, Chiapas, Mexico y estamos en la transicion a una iglesia celular y es muy cierto, en este momento las personas que vienen a Cristo a través de las invitaciones y aistencias a las celulas en este momento se estan integrando a las reuniones de celebración de los Domingos por las mañanas y se empiezan a involucrar en la iglesia, hemos visto un crecimiento muy grande y apenas este año llevamos 5 meses con nuestra nueva transicion a esta estructura..gracias al Dios!…bendiciones y saludos a Mario Vega y Joel Comiskey, del cual tengo dos de sus libros y me han ayudado mucho en el trabajo celular..me guistaria preguntar si ustedes tienen material pero para celulas de matrimonios?..muchas gracias y espero seguir en contacto con ustedes…bendiciones del Señor Jesucristo..

    Reply
  3. Michael Sove

    Post from International Cell Church Forum by Claudio

    I really hope that our Presbiterian Church here in Brazil get the “Elim way” to deal with the cell ministry.

    Actually, the integration is not happening, but I believe that this will happen naturally.

    God bless your life!

    Claudio

    If you have not signed up for the International Cell Church Forum you can place this link in your browser Wize-hive Invite https://www.wizehive.com/users/login/e3da167a7aac3157e20d506c7fe35b88 This is a great forum where other interaction with like minded people from the cell church world can be found.

    Reply
  4. Joel Comiskey

    Ross Ramsey writes:

    wow,
    let me see if I understand this:
    all new people to elim are first introduced to the church thru the cell group?
    Where is your celebration service? Is in a building? Do you have people who come to your celebration service as a visitor
    Also how is this integration working in terms of producing people to help in these other areas of resp. Is there a shortage an abundance of people stepping forward?
    Where do the cell groups meet?
    How big is elim?

    thanks
    ross

    __

    GREAT QUESTIONS, Ross, my book, PASSION AND PERSISTENCE explains exactly what the Elim set is all about.

    there are about 80,000 people in 11,000 cells at the Elim mother church. However, there are 100+ Elim churches around the world.

    All those serving in a church sponsored ministry are cell leaders (e.g., ushers, money counters, etc. ). Elim counts it a privilege to serve.

    All cells in Elim meet in homes.

    It’s great to visit this church to see what’s happening up close.

    Reply

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Mario Vega

Mario Vega

Senior leader for Elim International, www.elim.org.sv

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