15th MCCC #2 Leading a Successful Cell Church–the SIBKL Journey #dumcMY #fb #MCCC

Pastor Chew Weng Chee, 09/06/2011

Pastor Chew acknowledged that much of SIBKL’s success is due to what they have learned from DUMC.

5 Ingredients

1. My leadership must be visionary.
2. My leadership must be vital.
3. My leadership must be viable.
4. My leadership must be visible.
5. My leadership must be victorious.

A. Visionary

We must be able to contextualize what we hear and learn fast.
2 types of vision:

1. Specific vision.
2. Strategic vision.

The vision statement of SIBKL contains the elements of both types of vision.
Specific vision: To build a strong, excellent, dynamic church. (This has to do with the church. Anything that’s worth doing is worth doing well!)
“The best scones in Malaysia is found here (Dream Café)” ~Pastor Chew.
“I used to do delivery (of babies), now I do deliverance.” ~Pastor Chew.
When we do things excellently, we glorify God. If we don’t want to give our best shot, why bother?
Strategic vision: To influence the nation(s) & to impact generations. (This goes beyond the church.)
(a) Big is not strong.
Small is not strong.
Strong is strong.
It’s not about the size. We can grow but we can grow fat. Fat people are not strong. There are small churches that are weak.
There are big churches that are weak and small churches that are strong. It’s about the strength.
(b) Do not be intimidated by size, nor be Intoxicated with it.

Growing your church alone is a vision too small for God. ~ Pastor Dr Daniel Ho

Focus on the health and not the size, and the church will grow.
The cell church concept is introduced in SIBKL in 1999. There are now about 2300+ in attendance, excluding the Chinese congregation (200+), children and the other congregations. In total, there are about 3000 members.
Always have a kingdom mindset.
4 Sabah Strategies:

1. Training of Evangelists – Melangkap School of Evangelism
2. Training of Pastors – Namaus Bible School, Long Muaya Dev Centre. 20 pastors are trained every year. The goal is 100 per year.
3. Next Generation – Buidling “Asrama” and connecting with KL City
4. Kawawsan Mendulong (14 churches) – 3 GO 101 Mission Trips, 2 Pastoral Retreats and 1 youth conference

SIBKL supports 132 pastors financially every month. Talk is cheap. We have to take actions. Pastor Chew believes the future of Malaysia lies with the East Malaysia. SIBKL is instrumental in setting up 5 of the 21 taskas there.

B. Vital

What are the vital signs?

1. Love for God.
2. Love for God’s church.
3. Love for God’s people.

Pastor Chew always asked himself after preaching whether he loves God and whether what he did is what God wanted.
We have to believe the church is the hope of the world. The church must be the benchmark of the community.
Eph 1:23  The church, you see, is not peripheral to the world; the world is peripheral to the church. The church is Christ's body, in which he speaks and acts, by which he fills everything with his presence.

C. Viable

FLY HIGH, LAST LONG

1. The capacity if the leader.
2. The care for the leader.
3. The camaraderie of the leader.

Capacity is the ability to deal with complex and trying situations.
Mentoring groups – Roots and Wings, CLAP 1 & 2 and Timothy Program.
Viable = workable. In Malay, pemampanan.

Camaraderie

• Camaraderie
• Ownership
• Responsibility
• Empowering

The CORE team of a cell as a rule of thumb is 1/3 of the cell. They help the cell leaders to run the cell. The core can give the cell leaders a break (for as long as 1 year!). Cell groups with CORE can multiply very well.
Friendship before function.

D. Visible

1. I must meet with my leaders frequently.
2. I must mingle with my sheep.

Pastor Chew said he did a stupid thing in 2008 – he offered to visit every cell within the year. He visited cell groups every Wednesday and Friday. He got to shake hands with 76% of this church.
Not only must they feel my xx they must also feel my xx.

E. Victorious

It’s your history of doing the right thing over and over again with good results that will earn the forgiveness of your congregation for the times you occasionally make the wrong decision.
3 results – Eze 47:1-12
Eze 47:1-12  The man brought me back to the entrance of the temple, and I saw water coming out from under the threshold of the temple toward the east (for the temple faced east). The water was coming down from under the south side of the temple, south of the altar.  (2)  He then brought me out through the north gate and led me around the outside to the outer gate facing east, and the water was flowing from the south side.  (3)  As the man went eastward with a measuring line in his hand, he measured off a thousand cubits and then led me through water that was ankle-deep.  (4)  He measured off another thousand cubits and led me through water that was knee-deep. He measured off another thousand and led me through water that was up to the waist.  (5)  He measured off another thousand, but now it was a river that I could not cross, because the water had risen and was deep enough to swim in--a river that no one could cross.  (6)  He asked me, "Son of man, do you see this?" Then he led me back to the bank of the river.  (7)  When I arrived there, I saw a great number of trees on each side of the river.  (8)  He said to me, "This water flows toward the eastern region and goes down into the Arabah, where it enters the Sea. When it empties into the Sea, the water there becomes fresh.  (9)  Swarms of living creatures will live wherever the river flows. There will be large numbers of fish, because this water flows there and makes the salt water fresh; so where the river flows everything will live.  (10)  Fishermen will stand along the shore; from En Gedi to En Eglaim there will be places for spreading nets. The fish will be of many kinds--like the fish of the Great Sea.  (11)  But the swamps and marshes will not become fresh; they will be left for salt.  (12)  Fruit trees of all kinds will grow on both banks of the river. Their leaves will not wither, nor will their fruit fail. Every month they will bear, because the water from the sanctuary flows to them. Their fruit will serve for food and their leaves for healing."
Pastor Chew observed a progressive revival.

1. There is freshness. Do we have the river of life running in us?
2. There are fishes. There has to be conversions.
3. There is fruits. Bear fruit. The Son of Man came to serve and not to be served.

a. Having souls saved is the best victory for Jesus.
b. Seeing souls saved generates momentum and lifts morale.

In SIBKL, there are a total of 178 salvations (33 in cells, 72 in events and 73 service) with a 65% assimilation rate and 134 baptism.
Pastor Chew shared from his obstetrician experience that it’s criminal to deliver a baby and throw it out and leave it to the elements. Same goes with salvations. We don’t just get someone to say the sinner’s prayer and let them be. Follow up is very important.