By Joel Comiskey, Youth in Cell Ministry
The Vine Church lives with the future in view, knowing that the present children will soon be in their early teens and become part of youth ministry. The preparation is not complete unless children enter youth ministry.
When a child reaches the age of thirteen, they graduate to a youth cell and later to an adult cell. The Vine has a special ceremony for those graduating from the children’s ministry, and they carefully shepherd the graduates into youth cells. Since the children only know the cell’s atmosphere and celebration, they are like fish in water—the only environment they have experienced. Young teens are ready and eager to engage with other youth and continue the discipleship process. Testimonies abound of children born again in a children’s cell group, discipled in the process, and are now preparing to be pastors and church planters.
The Vine believes children and youth are best prepared to become disciples in the home environment, just like adults. They also realize that they will never reach the multitude by requiring the children to come to the church building. Rather, the Vine takes their cells to the neighborhoods.
Pastor Naor is the main youth pastor at the mother church in Goiana, where 1,600 youth cell groups with 15,000 youth attend. There are now 7,000 Vine youth cells throughout Brazil, and once per year, the youth cells come together to celebrate what God is doing.
Vinicius Motta, one of the network youth pastors under pastor Naor, is twenty-four years old and supervises sixty youth cells in the mother church. Vinicius was four years old when his father became sick with cancer. Through this terrible experience, God saved and discipled the entire family in one of the Vine cell groups. Vinicius attended the children’s cell and received Jesus when he was six and one-half years old.
God gave Vinicius a hunger to read the Bible; at twelve, he felt called to lead a cell. As part of his preparation, he went through an Encounter retreat. At thirteen, he started a cell group of teenagers in his house.
Leading a cell group was a great experience for Vinicius. He became more responsible and mature in the process of leading others. He evangelized his friends and made disciples, thinking, “I can have disciples, just like my father; these people can live the same life that I live.” He multiplied his cell three times in the first year and then multiplied it each year for the following four years. Eventually, he became a coach of other leaders and then a pastor.
Vinicius said, “It was difficult growing up because I spent so much time in ministry, and people would say, ‘You are so young. Why don’t you have more fun and live like normal people.'” Yet, at a young age, he learned what it was like to live for Jesus and deny himself. Vinicius is now married and looking forward to starting a family. He said, “I love to see 40,000 young people come together each year in the local soccer stadium to give glory to God.” In this annual rally, the Vine casts the vision for youth cells conquering the world for Jesus. Many youth cell leaders are becoming pastors, and now the youth are sending out their own missionaries.