Voices from the Frontline

We hear from a couple of prominent leaders on the ground on how the initial implementation of the new cell zonal system is working out, and how SJSM’s Jubilee Vision is being incorporated into cell life.

“The cell group system is a very effective small group system that has been operating for quite some time in SJSM,” says Wong Kin Nyen, who is both a Cell Leader (Zone 2) and a Parochial Church Council (PCC) member. “Designed for the provision of pastoral care to church members, it has been a very good platform to nurture, equip, and disciple members so that they can grow not only in spiritual maturity, but also in service, and into effective witnesses for Christ.”

BEING OUR BROTHERS’ KEEPERS

“The Jubilee Vision of a thriving Discipleship Ecosystem is aimed at streamlining and refining the church’s support structure to make the cell system even more effective, and to provide better support for new and changing needs in the cells,” Kin Nyen says. “To that end, I think SJSM has an established, tried and tested, effective outreach/ discipleship system with proper follow-up protocol and a nurturing framework. The imagery of planting seeds, and nurturing new believers into setting down roots and producing fruits to establish a flourishing Christian community is an excellent crystallisation of what most of us have already been trying to achieve in varying ways.”

“The Outreach system includes the highly effective Alpha programme, regular Gospel services, Friendship Evangelism, and more. My cell, which has done several Alpha runs, has grown and split into two groups. Our mentoring programme has also enabled us to raise several cell Word study facilitators, cell worship chairpersons, musicians, and potential cell leaders. Mentoring is key for effective discipleship.

“It’s important to actively involve our cell members in running cell activities, so they can take ownership and put into practice what they have learnt. This enables them to grow deeper and stronger in their spiritual and community life, and helps us to identify and groom potential new leaders. Role modelling is a critical aspect, too.”

“We can also sum up the end goal of the Jubilee Vision as ‘leave no man behind’,” says Gerry Ong, Cell Pastor and Cell Leader (Zone 7). “What’s critical is to remember that cell is about building spiritual relationships centred on Christ; if God is not in the picture, it’s just another social gathering.

“I think God has used COVID-19 to remind us all to dig deep and build relationships, and that at the end of the day, relationships are built one-to-one. We shouldn’t be hard up on wanting to snap back to past patterns, when we could freely socialise in large groups. Fact is, the past is a good memory, but we have to move forward with reality. Cell is going to be a hybrid, limited in-person/largely online experience for the foreseeable future. We do what we can with what we have, and when we can, keeping the mindset that we are here to learn more about Jesus together.

“Whatever system it is, the end motivation is to rally God’s people together, account for every one of them, and point them God’s way,” Gerry adds. “A tangible way of understanding this concept is to ask yourself if you know how or what to pray for someone. If you don’t, you need to find out. Call them. It’s not about being close to or best friends with everyone, but about honouring our shared responsibility as parts of the body of Christ. In particular, remember the quiet ones, the ‘invisible’ ones, and your leaders, who are usually walking a pretty lonely and stressful path and/or being targeted by the Enemy.”

“I advocate one-to-one selective mentoring for a season for a specific purpose, instead of the current peer support group system that is practised across the board involving all members in a cell,” Kin Nyen says. “A tailored approach to discipleship is more effective and purposeful, provides an environment for deeper sharing, and puts less strain on the leaders. For example: To train a new Assistant Cell Leader, pick a committed, willing member with potential and mentor her; if someone has a specific need, journey with them with a specific goal over a season, to see him grow stronger in that particular area. The Cell Leader can then prioritise and manage his limited time and resources more effectively.”

SCOPE, SCALABILITY, AND STRUGGLES

“As covered in the following article,” Kin Nyen says, “the zonal system essentially is about appointing full-time pastors to look after cell group clusters, so that they can provide more dedicated pastoral care as compared to the previous system, in which the clusters were looked after by lay cell pastors.”

“The intent and direction is that in each zone — numbering about 200 members — we should now have a better balance and mix of generation bands and giftings,” says Gerry. “This is absolutely good in theory, but things that seem great in theory don’t always translate seamlessly into the practical sphere. We do have concerns about a few things that we hope our pastoral leadership will be monitoring and making adjustments for as we work things out together.”

“To be fair,” says Ong Pei Chi (Page), also a Cell Pastor and Cell Leader (Zone 7), “we are aware that it was to help those cells that were struggling, that the zonal system was thought up. And we appreciate that. But months down the road from the initial execution, we’re still not sure it was necessary to overhaul everything instead of simply strengthening support for those cells or clusters that needed it.”

“In the cluster system, which was generally thriving though we all agree it needed some tweaks, there were three to five cells per cluster, and most of the leaders would approach relevant pastors for help with different areas of ministry according to their personal giftings or specialisations,” Gerry explains. “For each Zone Pastor now, even though they are dedicated full-time to this role, to be accountable for about 200 individuals with a wide diversity of pastoral needs seems like a big stretch.

“There’s also scalability and agility to consider. With smaller groups, it’s easier to go in and make adjustments when necessary, and it’s also easier to stretch and support when groups need help or dissolve for whatever reason. With several groups in each large boat, it’s harder to navigate such challenges effectively. We think this is too big an undertaking to expect the Zone Pastors to shoulder, actually. We’re honestly concerned about their mental, emotional, and even physical health.”

“The ideal situation is for all the cells within a zone to regularly share experience, expertise, and resources so that newer or less equipped cells can grow to become more effective; resources can also be pooled to run Alpha and other activities. The new framework is a good development that is designed to facilitate and encourage this, but it does take time to develop and deploy well-trained and experienced Zone Pastors who can each look after a Zone comprising eight to 10 cells,” Kin Nyen notes. “I personally think the zonal system should be able to operate effectively once the church is able to fully deploy the required number of trained and equipped Zone Pastors.

“Every cell operates with some level of uniqueness because God has created each of us differently and we all have different life experiences. It is therefore important to allow the cells leeway to operate with some level of independence and be creative, and accommodate differences in the way they are run, due to their varying contexts and needs. In the Kingdom of God, there can be unity and harmony in diversity.”

“At some point it may be wise to pause, take a few steps back, and consider whether the right stakeholders were consulted, or their input given sufficient weightage, in the original decisions made,” Gerry says. “I invite all the pastors to be in cell, because they too need community support. At the end of the day, we are united in wanting to build the Body of Christ, His people — and we all know Jesus spent most of His time with and among people.”